Systems and methods for video capture, user feedback, reporting, adaptive parameters, and remote data access in vehicle safety monitoring

ABSTRACT

A method for vehicle data management according to embodiments of the present invention includes receiving an accelerometer signal from an accelerometer mounted in a vehicle, determining an accelerometer specific force based on the accelerometer signal, receiving a speed signal from a speed sensor or GPS or other source on the vehicle, wherein the speed signal indicates a speed of the vehicle, determining an instantaneous acceleration of the vehicle by calculating a rate of change of the speed based on the speed signal, selecting a current observed acceleration as a lower value of the accelerometer specific force and the instantaneous acceleration, capturing video footage with a camera mounted on the vehicle, and flagging the video footage corresponding to a time when the current observed acceleration exceeds a preset safe force value.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/910,879, filed on Jun. 5, 2013, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/656,527, filed on Jun. 7,2012, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to vehicle safetymonitoring, and more particularly to video capture, user feedback,reporting, adaptive parameters, and remote data access in vehicle safetymonitoring.

BACKGROUND

Companies which control and operate vehicles, for example emergencyresponse vehicles, are often interested in knowing how safely thosevehicles are being operated, as well as identifying and documenting anyproblems with driver behavior. These companies may opt to provide theirdrivers with feedback during a driver safety violation, and may also optto document such information over time, in order to compile a reportabout individual drivers or the companies' drivers as a whole.Information about driver behavior and vehicle safety conditions may alsobe used to investigate vehicle crashes or other safety events after theyhave occurred.

Although vehicle safety monitoring systems can improve driving behavior,the types of driver feedback and the level of detail that can becollected for later use are relatively limited for emergency responsevehicles. Some such systems may collect video data related to particularsafety violation events, for example too rapidly accelerating ordecelerating. However, such systems are often incapable of collectingvideo data that has been triggered or flagged by conditions unrelated oronly partially related to the driver's behavior. Current vehicle safetymonitoring systems also often do not provide easy access to the datacollected on board the vehicle, and often do not permit dynamic creationof reports based on current and past vehicle safety data.

SUMMARY

A method for vehicle data management according to embodiments of thepresent invention includes receiving an accelerometer signal from anaccelerometer mounted in a vehicle, determining an accelerometerspecific force based on the accelerometer signal, receiving a speedsignal from a speed sensor on the vehicle, wherein the speed signalindicates a speed of the vehicle, determining an instantaneousacceleration of the vehicle by calculating a rate of change of the speedbased on the speed signal, selecting a current observed acceleration asa lower value of the accelerometer specific force and the instantaneousacceleration, capturing video footage with a camera mounted on thevehicle, and flagging the video footage corresponding to a time when thecurrent observed acceleration exceeds a preset safe force value.

The method of paragraph [0005], wherein the vehicle includes a frontcabin and a rear cabin, wherein the camera is mounted in the rear cabin,and wherein capturing video footage includes capturing video footageincluding at least a portion of a patient in the rear cabin.

The method of any of paragraphs [0005] and [0006], wherein the vehicleincludes a front cabin and a rear cabin, wherein the camera is mountedin the rear cabin, and wherein capturing video footage includescapturing video footage including at least a portion of an emergencyservices technician in the rear cabin.

The method of any of paragraphs [0005] to [0007], wherein the time is arange of time when the current observed acceleration exceeds a presentsafe force value.

The method of any of paragraphs [0005] to [0008], further includingflagging the video footage corresponding to a time when the speedexceeds a preset safe speed value.

The method of any of paragraphs [0005] to [0009], further includingreceiving a reverse signal from a reverse activation indicator, thereverse signal indicating whether the vehicle is in reverse drive,receiving a spotter switch signal from a spotter switch, the spotterswitch signal indicating whether a spotter is present behind thevehicle, and flagging the video footage corresponding to a time when thevehicle is in reverse drive and a spotter is not present.

The method of any of paragraphs [0005] to [0010], wherein the camera ismounted on or near a rear of the vehicle facing in a rearward direction.

A system for vehicle data management according to embodiments of thepresent invention includes an accelerometer, wherein the accelerometeris mounted in a vehicle and is configured to measure an accelerometerspecific force of the vehicle, a speed sensor, wherein the speed sensoris configured to measure a speed of the vehicle, a video capture device,a vehicle data management device communicably coupled to theaccelerometer, the speed sensor, and the video capture device, thevehicle data management device configured to establish a vehicle record,wherein the vehicle record includes video footage captured by the videocapture device, wherein the vehicle data management device is furtherconfigured to determine an instantaneous acceleration based on a rate ofchange of the speed of the vehicle, determine a current observedacceleration as a lower value of the accelerometer specific force andthe instantaneous acceleration, and mark the vehicle record to indicatea time when the instantaneous acceleration exceeds a preset safe forcevalue.

The system of paragraph [0012], wherein the vehicle record includes thevideo footage in a vehicle video record, and wherein the vehicle datamanagement device is further configured to mark the vehicle video recordto indicate a time when the force value is outside of the safe forcerange.

The system of any of paragraphs [0012] or [0013], wherein the vehicledata management device is further configured to mark the vehicle videorecord to indicate range of time when the force value is outside of thesafe force range.

A method according to embodiments of the present invention includessimultaneously displaying a map showing a route taken by a particularemergency vehicle during an emergency medical services event and arepresentation of the vehicle at a position along the route, anddisplaying visual data captured from the emergency vehicle during theemergency medical services event corresponding to a time at which thevehicle was at the position along the route.

The method of paragraph [0015], wherein the visual data is videofootage, wherein displaying the visual data includes playing the videofootage, the method further including synchronizing moving therepresentation of the vehicle along the route to correspond to thevehicle position at the time represented by the playing video footage.

The method of paragraphs [0015] or [0016], wherein the position is afirst position, the method further including receiving a request to movethe representation of the vehicle to a second position along the route,updating the map to show the representation of the vehicle at the secondposition, and based on the request, displaying the visual datacorresponding to the time at which the vehicle was at the secondposition.

A system for vehicle data management according to embodiments of thepresent invention includes a driver identification device located on anemergency vehicle, the driver identification device configured toreceive an indication of an identity of a current driver of theemergency vehicle, wherein the emergency vehicle has a front cabinconfigured to seat the current driver, and a rear cabin configured toaccept a patient and at least one emergency medical technician, anaccelerometer located on the emergency vehicle, the accelerometerconfigured to indicate a specific force undergone by the emergencyvehicle, a speed sensing device located on the emergency vehicle, thespeed sensing device configured to indicate a speed of the emergencyvehicle, a video capture device located in the rear cabin and configuredto capture visual information about the rear cabin, and a vehicle datamanagement device communicably coupled to the driver identificationdevice, the accelerometer, the speed sensing device, and the videocapture device, the vehicle data management device configured toestablish a vehicle record, wherein the vehicle record includes videofootage captured by the video capture device, wherein the vehicle datamanagement device is further configured to determine whether one or bothof the specific force and the speed fall outside of certain ranges, andcreate a flag in the vehicle record based on the determination.

The system of paragraph [0018], wherein the video capture device is afirst video capture device, and wherein the driver identification deviceis a second video capture device located in the front cabin andconfigured to receive visual information about the current driver.

The system of paragraphs [0018] or [0019], wherein the driveridentification device is a magnetic card reader.

The system of any of paragraphs [0018] to [0020], wherein the driveridentification device is an RFID transceiver.

The system of any of paragraphs [0018] to [0021], further including aseatbelt sensor configured to indicate fastening of a seatbelt, thevehicle data management device further configured to determine whetherthe seatbelt is not fastened, and create the flag in the vehicle recordbased on the determination.

The system of any of paragraphs [0018] to [0022], further including aspotter switch configured to indicate presence of a backing spotter, anda reverse activation signal configured to indicate whether the vehicleis in reverse drive, the vehicle data management device furtherconfigured to determine whether the backing spotter is not present, andcreate the flag in the vehicle record based on the determination.

The system of any of paragraphs [0018] to [0023], further including anaudio device, wherein the vehicle data management device is furtherconfigured to play an audio message with the audio device based on thedetermination.

A system for vehicle data management according to embodiments of thepresent invention includes a specific force sensing device located on anemergency vehicle, the specific force sensing device configured toindicate a specific force undergone by the emergency vehicle, whereinthe emergency vehicle has a front cabin configured to seat a driver, anda rear cabin configured to accept a patient and at least one emergencymedical technician, a speed sensing device located on the emergencyvehicle, the speed sensing device configured to indicate a speed of theemergency vehicle, a video capture device located in the emergencyvehicle and configured to capture visual information about one or moreof the emergency vehicle, the driver, the patient, and the at least oneemergency medical technician, and a vehicle data management devicecommunicably coupled to the specific force sensing device, the speedsensing device, and the video capture device, the vehicle datamanagement device configured to establish a vehicle record, wherein thevehicle record includes video footage captured by the video capturedevice, wherein the vehicle data management device is further configuredto determine whether a particular safety situation exists with theemergency vehicle based on the visual information, select a speed limitand a specific force limit, wherein the speed limit and the specificforce limit are both lower if it is determined that the particularsafety situation exists, and are both higher if it is not determinedthat the particular safety situation exists, calculate whether one orboth of the speed is higher than the speed limit and the specific forceis higher than the specific force limit, and create a flag in thevehicle record based on the calculation.

The system of paragraph [0025], wherein the vehicle data managementdevice is configured to automatically determine whether the particularsafety situation exists based on the visual information.

The system of paragraphs [0025] or [0026], wherein the vehicle datamanagement device is configured to prompt the driver or the at least oneemergency medical technician to confirm that a safety situation existsbased on the visual information.

The system of any of paragraphs [0025] to [0027], wherein the videocapture device is located in the rear cabin, and wherein the safetysituation is a person standing in the rear cabin.

The system of any of paragraphs [0025] to [0028], wherein the videocapture device is located in the rear cabin, and wherein the safetysituation is a patient laying in the rear cabin.

The system of any of paragraphs [0025] to [0029], wherein the vehicle isa first vehicle, wherein the video capture device is located externallyof the first vehicle at or near a rear of the first vehicle, and whereinthe safety situation is a second vehicle following too closely to thefirst vehicle.

The system of any of paragraphs [0025] to [0030], wherein the vehicle isa first vehicle, wherein the video capture device is located externallyof the first vehicle at or near a front of the first vehicle, andwherein the safety situation is the first vehicle following too closelyto a second vehicle.

The system of any of paragraphs [0025] to [0031], wherein the vehicledata management device is further configured to interpret gesturescaptured by the video capture device and to determine whether aparticular safety situation exists with the emergency vehicle byinterpreting the gestures.

The system of any of paragraphs [0025] to [0032], wherein the specificforce sensing device is an accelerometer.

A method for vehicle data management according to embodiments of thepresent invention includes receiving a specific force value from aspecific force sensing device located on an emergency vehicle, thespecific force value indicating a specific force undergone by theemergency vehicle, receiving a speed value from a speed sensing devicelocated on the emergency vehicle, receiving visual information from avisual capture device located on the emergency vehicle, wherein thevisual information includes visual information about one or more of theemergency vehicle, the driver, the patient, and the at least oneemergency medical technician, establishing a vehicle data recordincluding at least a portion of the visual information, determiningwhether a particular safety situation exists with the emergency vehiclebased on the visual information, selecting a speed limit and a specificforce limit, wherein the speed limit and the specific force limit areboth lower if it is determined that the particular safety situationexists, and are both higher if it is not determined that the particularsafety situation exists, calculating whether one or both of the speed ishigher than the speed limit and the specific force is higher than thespecific force limit, and creating a flag in the vehicle record based onthe calculation.

The method of paragraph [0034], wherein determining whether theparticular safety situation exists includes automatically determiningwhether the particular safety situation exists based on the visualinformation.

The method of paragraphs [0034] or [0035], further comprising promptingthe driver or the at least one emergency medical technician to confirmthat a safety situation exists based on the visual information.

The method of any of paragraphs [0034] to [0036], wherein the videocapture device is located in the rear cabin, and wherein the safetysituation is a person standing in the rear cabin.

The method of any of paragraphs [0034] to [0037], wherein the videocapture device is located in the rear cabin, and wherein the safetysituation is a patient laying in the rear cabin.

The method of any of paragraphs [0034] to [0038], wherein the vehicle isa first vehicle, wherein the video capture device is located externallyof the first vehicle at or near a rear of the first vehicle, and whereinthe safety situation is a second vehicle following too closely to thefirst vehicle.

The method of any of paragraphs [0034] to [0039], wherein the vehicle isa first vehicle, wherein the video capture device is located externallyof the first vehicle at or near a front of the first vehicle, andwherein the safety situation is the first vehicle following too closelyto a second vehicle.

The method of any of paragraphs [0034] to [0040], wherein the visualinformation comprises gestures, and wherein determining whether theparticular safety situation exists comprises automatically interpretingthe gestures.

The method of any of paragraphs [0034] to [0041], wherein the specificforce sensing device is an accelerometer.

A system for vehicle data management according to embodiments of thepresent invention includes a specific force sensing device located on anemergency vehicle, the specific force sensing device configured toindicate a specific force undergone by the emergency vehicle, a speedsensing device located on the emergency vehicle, the speed sensingdevice configured to indicate a speed of the emergency vehicle, acondition indicator located on the emergency vehicle, the conditionindicator configured to indicate information about presence or absenceof a condition, a vehicle data management device communicably coupled tothe specific force sensing device, the speed sensing device, and thecondition indicator, wherein the vehicle data management device isconfigured to establish a vehicle record, and is further configured todetermine whether the condition is present or absent based on theinformation from the condition indicator, adjust a speed limit and aspecific force limit based on the determination, and create a flag whenone or both of the speed is higher than the speed limit and the specificforce is higher than the specific force limit.

A method for vehicle data management according to embodiments of thepresent invention includes receiving a specific force value from aspecific force sensing device located on an emergency vehicle, thespecific force value indicating a specific force undergone by theemergency vehicle, receiving a speed value from a speed sensing devicelocated on the emergency vehicle, receiving information about presenceof absence of a condition from a condition indicator, establishing avehicle data record, determining whether the condition is present orabsent based on the information from the condition indicator, adjustinga speed limit and a specific force limit based on the determination, andcreating a flag in the vehicle record when one or both of the speed ishigher than the speed limit and the specific force is higher than thespecific force limit.

The method of paragraph [0044], wherein creating the flag in the vehiclerecord comprises creating the flag in the vehicle record when one orboth of the speed is higher than the speed limit and the specific forceis higher than the specific force limit for a preset grace period time.

The method of paragraphs [0044] or [0045], wherein the conditionindicator is a windshield wiper indicator, wherein adjusting the speedlimit and the specific force limit comprises lowering the speed limitand the specific force limit.

The method of any of paragraphs [0044] to [0046], wherein the conditionindicator is and emergency siren indicator, wherein adjusting the speedlimit and the specific force limit comprises raising the speed limit andthe specific force limit.

The method of any of paragraphs [0044] to [0047], wherein the conditionindicator is an emergency lights indicator, wherein adjusting the speedlimit and the specific force limit comprises raising the speed limit andthe specific force limit.

A method for vehicle data management according to embodiments of thepresent invention includes receiving a speed value from a speed sensingdevice located on the emergency vehicle, receiving an indication of anidentity of a current driver of the emergency vehicle, establishing avehicle data record, determining a safety score for the current driverbased at least partially on the vehicle data record, adjusting a speedlimit based on the determination, and creating a flag in the vehiclerecord when the speed value is higher than the speed limit.

The method of paragraph [0049], wherein the speed sensing device is aglobal positioning system device.

The method of paragraphs [0049] or [0050], wherein the current driver isa first current driver, wherein the safety score is a first safetyscore, the method further including receiving an indication of anidentity of a second current driver of the emergency vehicle, updatingthe vehicle data record to reflect a driver change from the firstcurrent driver to the second current driver, determining a second safetyscore for the second current driver based at least partially on thevehicle data record, and adjusting the speed limit based on thedetermination of the second safety score.

A method for vehicle data management according to embodiments of thepresent invention includes receiving a speed value from a speed sensingdevice located on the emergency vehicle, receiving a speed limit valuecorresponding to a current position of the emergency vehicle,establishing a vehicle data record, adjusting a speed limit based on thespeed limit value, and creating a flag in the vehicle data record whenthe speed value is higher than the speed limit.

The method of paragraph [0052], wherein the speed limit value is a legalspeed limit for a section of road on which the emergency vehicle iscurrently traveling.

The method of paragraphs [0052] or [0053], wherein the speed limit isset to equal the speed limit value.

The method of any of paragraphs [0052] to [0054], wherein receiving thespeed limit value includes identifying a current vehicle position usingthe navigation system of the emergency vehicle, and querying a mapsdatabase to determine the speed limit value based on the current vehicleposition.

A system for vehicle data management according to embodiments of thepresent invention includes a siren activation indicator, an audiodelivery device located in an emergency vehicle, and a vehicle datamanagement device communicably coupled to the siren activation indicatorand the audio delivery device, the vehicle data management deviceconfigured to deliver audio messages to a person in the emergencyvehicle via the audio delivery device based on one or more vehiclesafety conditions, wherein the vehicle data management device is furtherconfigured to determine whether a siren of the emergency vehicle isactivated based on the siren activation indicator, and increase a volumeat which the audio messages are delivered via the audio delivery devicebased on a determination that the siren is activated.

A system for vehicle data management according to embodiments of thepresent invention includes a speed sensing device located on anemergency vehicle, the speed sensing device configured to indicate aspeed of the emergency vehicle, an audio delivery device located in anemergency vehicle, and a vehicle data management device communicablycoupled to the speed sensing device and the audio delivery device, thevehicle data management device configured to deliver audio to a personin the emergency vehicle via the audio delivery device based on one ormore vehicle safety conditions, wherein the vehicle data managementdevice is further configured to select a volume at which the audio isdelivered via the audio delivery device that is at least partiallyproportional to the speed, such that the volume is higher at a higherspeed and lower at a lower speed.

The system of paragraph [0057], wherein the audio is an audio message.

The system of paragraphs [0057] or [0058], wherein the audio is a tone.

A system for vehicle data management according to embodiments of thepresent invention includes a crew member identification device locatedon an emergency vehicle, the crew member identification deviceconfigured to receive an indication of an identity of a current crewmember of the emergency vehicle, a media content delivery device locatedin the emergency vehicle, and a vehicle data management devicecommunicably coupled to the crew member identification device and themedia content delivery device, the vehicle data management deviceconfigured to determine whether the current crew member falls within afirst classification or a second classification based on the indication,and deliver a first media content to the current crew member via themedia content delivery device if the current crew member falls into thefirst classification and deliver a second media content to the currentcrew member via the media content delivery device if the current crewmember falls into the second classification, wherein the first mediacontent is different from the second media content.

The system of paragraph [0060], wherein the first classification issupervisor, and wherein the second classification is non-supervisor.

The system of paragraphs [0060] or [0061], wherein the crew member is adriver of the emergency vehicle, and wherein the first classification isdrivers who have experience driving the emergency vehicle and the secondclassification is drivers who do not have experience driving theemergency vehicle.

The system of any of paragraphs [0060] to [0062], wherein the crewmember is a driver of the emergency vehicle, and wherein the firstclassification is drivers who are qualified to drive the emergencyvehicle and the second classification is drivers who are not qualifiedto drive the emergency vehicle.

The system of any of paragraphs [0060] to [0063], wherein the crewmember is a driver of the emergency vehicle, and wherein the firstclassification is drivers who are on probationary status and the secondclassification is drivers who are not on probationary status.

The system of any of paragraphs [0060] to [0064], wherein the vehicledata management device is further configured to log maintain a vehiclerecord, and to log delivery of the first or second media.

The system of any of paragraphs [0060] to [0065], wherein the vehicledata management device is further configured to confirm receipt of thefirst or second media by the first crew member or the second crewmember, respectively.

A system for vehicle data management according to embodiments of thepresent invention includes a crew member identification device locatedon an emergency vehicle, the crew member identification deviceconfigured to receive an indication of an identity of a current crewmember of the emergency vehicle, a user experience system, whereinactivation of the user experience system is configured to improve thecurrent crew member's physical or emotional comfort or driving decisionfreedom within the emergency vehicle, a vehicle data management devicecommunicably coupled to the crew member identification device and theuser experience device, the vehicle data management device configured toquery a remote server based on the identity of the current crew member,receive a crew member performance score from a remote server based onthe query, and activate the user experience system if the crew memberperformance score exceeds a predefined level.

The system of paragraph [0067], wherein the predefined level iscustomizable via the remote server.

The system of paragraphs [0067] or [0068], wherein the predefined levelis customizable by a person other than the current crew member.

The system of any of paragraphs [0067] to [0069], wherein the crewmember performance score is based on the crew member's past performancewith the emergency vehicle.

The system of any of paragraphs [0067] to [0070], wherein the crewmember is a driver of the emergency vehicle.

The system of any of paragraphs [0067] to [0071], wherein the crewmember is a driver of the emergency vehicle.

The system of any of paragraphs [0067] to [0072], wherein the userexperience system includes a sound system.

The system of any of paragraphs [0067] to [0073], wherein the userexperience system includes an air conditioning system.

The system of any of paragraphs [0067] to [0074], wherein the userexperience system includes a throttle governing device, and whereinactivation of the user experience system includes deactivation of thethrottle governing device.

A method for dynamic vehicle data report generation according toembodiments of the present invention includes receiving vehicle datarecord information from a vehicle data management device on an emergencyvehicle, storing the vehicle data record information in a databaseremote from the emergency vehicle, receiving a report generationrequest, wherein the report generation request identifies a period oftime and a set of one or more vehicle data fields, querying the databaseto identify vehicle record data that satisfies the report generationrequest, and generating a report for display that includes the set ofone or more vehicle data fields over the period of time.

The method of paragraph [0076], wherein the set of one or more vehicledata fields are displayed simultaneously in graphical format plottedverses time, over at least the period of time, in the report.

The method of paragraphs [0076] or [0077], wherein receiving vehicledata record information includes receiving vehicle data recordinformation about an emergency response by the emergency responsevehicle during the emergency response.

The method of any of paragraphs [0076] to [0078], wherein receiving thereport generation request includes receiving the report generationrequest with a web server, and wherein generating a report for displayincludes sending the report to a web browser application that iscommunicably coupled to the web server.

The method of any of paragraphs [0076] to [0079], wherein the set of oneor more vehicle data fields includes at least one vehicle safety fieldand at least one patient medical field.

The method of any of paragraphs [0076] to [0080], wherein generating thereport for display includes generating the report for display thatincludes summaries of the set of one or more vehicle data fields overthe period of time.

The method of any of paragraphs [0076] to [0081], wherein the databaseincludes data from emergency lights and siren devices installed in thevehicle, driver identification data, and patient medical data.

The method of any of paragraphs [0076] to [0082], wherein the databasefurther includes vehicle maintenance data and vehicle safety performancedata.

A system for vehicle safety according to embodiments of the presentinvention includes a video capture device located on a vehicle, a panicbutton located on the vehicle, a vehicle data management device locatedon the vehicle, the vehicle data management device communicably coupledto the video capture device and the panic button, the vehicle datamanagement device configured to, upon activation of the panic button,automatically stream video footage from the video capture device to aremote web browser.

The system of paragraph [0084], wherein the vehicle data managementdevice is further configured to send an alarm signal to the remote webbrowser upon activation of the panic button.

The system of paragraphs [0084] or [0085], further comprising an audiocapture device located on the vehicle, the vehicle data managementdevice further configured to automatically stream audio footage from theaudio capture device to the remote web browser upon activation of thepanic button.

A system for vehicle data management according to embodiments of thepresent invention includes an ambient noise level sensor, an audiodelivery device located in an emergency vehicle, and a vehicle datamanagement device communicably coupled to the ambient noise level sensorand the audio delivery device, the vehicle data management deviceconfigured to deliver audio messages to a person in the emergencyvehicle via the audio delivery device based on one or more vehiclesafety conditions, wherein the vehicle data management device is furtherconfigured to determine the intensity of ambient noise in the emergencyvehicle from the ambient noise level sensor, and increase a volume atwhich the audio messages are delivered via the audio delivery devicewhen the intensity of ambient noise increases.

While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of thepresent invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art fromthe following detailed description, which shows and describesillustrative embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings anddetailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature andnot restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an emergency medical services data management andaccess system, according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates devices in a mobile environment communicably coupledwith a vehicle data management device so as to send information to thevehicle data management device, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 illustrates devices in a mobile environment communicably coupledwith a vehicle data management device so as to receive commands from thevehicle data management device, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a computing device or computer system, according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates internal vehicle and on board diagnostics devices andsignalers, according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of an emergency vehicle, showing differentcamera positions, according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates multiple vehicles 101 communicably coupled to anetwork and an enterprise workstations, according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example “last download” report, according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a driver trip summary report, according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates an events report, according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates an overspeed report, according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates a speed graph summary report, according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 13 illustrates a driver safety summary report, according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 14 illustrates a report showing vehicle speed, engine speed,ignition, left turn, right turn, brake activation, spotter switchactivation, reverse activation, emergency light activation, sirenactivation, and driver's seatbelt activation data over a particularlength of time corresponding to a run, or an emergency response,according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 15 illustrates a second-by-second report for a particularone-minute time interval surrounding a vehicle accident, showing variousdata values plotted versus time, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternativeforms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in thedrawings and are described in detail below. The intention, however, isnot to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. Onthe contrary, the invention is intended to cover all modifications,equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the inventionas defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a system 100 according to embodiments of thepresent invention performs vehicle data management, for example driverperformance and safety data management. System 100 includes a mobileenvironment 101, an enterprise environment 102, and an administrationenvironment 103. Devices within the various environments 101, 102, 103may be communicably coupled via a network 12, such as, for example, theInternet.

As used herein, the phrase “communicably coupled” is used in itsbroadest sense to refer to any coupling whereby information may bepassed. Thus, for example, communicably coupled includes electricallycoupled by, for example, a wire; optically coupled by, for example, anoptical cable; and/or wirelessly coupled by, for example, a radiofrequency or other transmission media. “Communicably coupled” alsoincludes, for example, indirect coupling, such as through a network or aseries of devices and/or communication protocols, or direct coupling.For example, “communicably coupled” may include coupled wirelessly viaWi-Fi and/or BlueTooth®. The network 12 may also take the form of an adhoc, self-configuring, self-healing network.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the mobileenvironment 101 is an ambulance or other EMS vehicle—for example avehicular mobile environment (VME). The mobile environment 101 may be anemergency vehicle such as an ambulance, a fire truck, a police car, arescue helicopter, a boat, a fixed wing aircraft, or other emergencyvehicle. The mobile environment may also be the local network of dataentry devices as well as diagnostic and therapeutic devices establishedat time of treatment of a patient or patients in the fieldenvironment—the “At Scene Patient Mobile Environment” (ASPME). Themobile environment 101 may also be a combination of one or more of VMEsand/or ASPMEs. The mobile environment 101 may also be a work vehicle,such as, for example, a delivery vehicle, a public transportationvehicle, a waste management vehicle, or a hauling vehicle.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, an EMS technician 114, for example a paramedicor technician or other treatment professional, may be in the rear cabin152 of the emergency vehicle 101 taking care of the patient 116, who maybe laying in a bed or stretcher (not shown). The EMS driver 112 may belocated in the front cabin 150 of the emergency vehicle 101, accordingto embodiments of the present invention. Although the vehicle datamanagement system 10 is shown in the rear cabin 152, it may be locatedanywhere in the vehicle 101, and/or the location of its hardware and/orsoftware may be distributed in different places throughout the vehicle101.

The vehicle data management system (“VDM”) 10 is communicably coupled tonetwork 12, which is also communicably coupled with the enterpriseenvironment 102 and the administration environment 103. A mobile device136, for example a smartphone, may also be communicably coupled tonetwork 12, according to embodiments of the present invention. The VDM10, and other computers or devices described herein, may be or include acomputer system 400 as described below with respect to FIG. 4, accordingto embodiments of the present invention. Functionality of the VDM 10 mayalso be performed using one or more circuits or integrated circuits orcombination of computers and circuits, according to embodiments of thepresent invention. Although VDM 10 is described as one device or system,VDM 10 may be multiple devices, and its software and/or hardware whichperforms its described functions may be located on different devices orin different locations, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. According to some embodiments of the present invention, theVDM 10 is a box, housing, frame, and/or enclosure which includes aprocessor and a memory with instructions for carrying out the VDM's 10functions as described herein, and which is communicably coupled tovarious devices and/or sensors within the vehicle 101, as well as to thenetwork 12, according to embodiments of the present invention.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10 isconfigured to establish a vehicle record. The vehicle record may be aset of data stored locally in the mobile environment 101 and/ortransmitted via the network 12 to other environments for later storage,use, and integration with other vehicle records. The vehicle record mayinclude the status of one or more conditions at particular moments intime or over ranges of time. In addition to creating the vehicle record,the VDM 10 may also alert drivers or other crew members of the vehicle101 of particular situations, for example safety violations (actualand/or perceived), which may in some cases also be made part of thevehicle record. As such, all or a portion of the vehicle record may be avehicle driving safety record, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

In situations in which all of some of the VDM 10 is a box, the box mayhave an outer structure that is impact resistant, fire resistant, and/orwater resistant and/or watertight, so that in the occurrence of a crashor other catastrophic event, the vehicle record stored on the VDM 10 maylater be recovered, similar to a “black box” for an airplane, accordingto embodiments of the present invention.

Data from the VDM 10 (and therefore data from the devices communicablycoupled with the VDM 10) may be received by one or more enterprisestorage servers 126 in an administration environment 103 and stored inan enterprise database 130, and the same information may be accessed andprovided by one or more enterprise application servers 128 to aworkstation 122 of an enterprise user 124, according to embodiments ofthe present invention. The database 130 may be multiple databases whichare linked; for example, vehicle speed data about a particular ambulancerun in one database may be linked with patient data for the patient whowas transported in another database, for example by a unique ambulancerun identification number, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. According to embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10is communicably coupled to the storage server 126 which is communicablycoupled to the database 130, and the application server 128 iscommunicably coupled to the database and to the enterprise workstation122. Such devices may be communicably coupled via a network 12 such as,for example, the Internet.

When the VDM 10 receives updated information from one or more of thedevices to which it is communicably coupled, the VDM 10 sends theupdated information to the enterprise storage server 126, which storesthe updated information in a database which may be contained on astorage medium 130, according to embodiments of the present invention.Hence, information collected by the vehicle data manager may be storedin a mobile memory 406, 408 (see FIG. 4), remote enterprise database130, or both, according to embodiments of the present invention. Anenterprise user 124, who may be an emergency room nurse monitoringand/or preparing for ambulance arrivals, an emergency room physician,and/or a medical director at home, for example, may access informationsimilar to information collected by VDM 10 by requesting the informationvia an enterprise workstation 122. The enterprise user may also be adispatcher or supervisor or other personnel who monitors vehicleactivities, for example police or fire response personnel. For example,the enterprise workstation 122 accesses a web interface and/or thinclient web browser application which requests the information over thenetwork 12 from application server 128. Application server 128 queriesthe database 130 for the information, and returns a display toenterprise workstation, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. The application server 128 may be configured to stream datafrom the VDM 10, and/or to store data from the VDM 10, according toembodiments of the present invention.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the website displayin the enterprise environment 102 is accessed via a generic internetbrowser by a supervisor or dispatcher for one or more ambulances 101 orother emergency vehicles. The website may be secured by logon usernameand password, for example. Each ambulance may be identified by a vehiclename; the supervisor chooses from a list of incoming vehicles, afterwhich the data for that patient is displayed. The data may be shown justas it appears on the mobile screen, also in “clinical time.” The vehicledata manager 10 collects information about driver behavior and/orperformance, and sends the information, for example alerts aboutoverforce or overspeed conditions, to the enterprise user 124. Alertsabout driver performance issues or safety concerns may also be sent to auser via a mobile device 136, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

According to yet other embodiments of the present invention, theenterprise user 124 is a vehicle fleet management operator, who accessesdata about the driving performance and vehicle maintenance or “wear andtear” information via the enterprise workstation 122, in order todetermine when maintenance should be scheduled, and/or the type ofmaintenance that may be recommended or necessary.

Although FIG. 1 depicts a single VDM 10 in the mobile environment 101,more than one VDM 10 may be used in the mobile environment 101 tocommunicably connect to the same or a different set of devices and/ordriver performance monitoring systems. And although FIG. 1 depicts onemobile environment 101, more than one mobile environment 101 and/or morethan one VDM 10 may be communicably coupled with the administrationenvironment 103 and/or the enterprise storage server 126, according toembodiments of the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 7.According to embodiments of the present invention, the enterprisestorage server 126 receives vehicle data information from VDM 10 andstores it in database 130 along with an authenticated time stamp and anidentifier associating the information with a particular EMS crew memberand/or a particular EMS vehicle. In this way, data from multiplevehicles and/or multiple crew members and drivers may be accessed by theenterprise user 124.

As also illustrated in FIG. 1, the enterprise storage server 130 maysecurely store the information received from one or more VDMs 10 forlonger periods of time to permit later use of the information. Forexample, the VDM 10 may receive crew-identifying information such asname, address, employee number, and/or drivers license number via a crewmember ID device 14, and then may convey some or all of thecrew-identifying information to enterprise storage server 126 with arequest for the enterprise storage server 126 to query the database 130for past records involving the same crew member or vehicle. Theenterprise storage server 126 may then forward any such records orportions of such records back to the VDM 10 to permit the VDM 10 to makeany configurations and/or settings to the VDM 10. Similarly, such pastvehicle record information may also be accessed by the enterprise user124, according to embodiments of the present invention. A systemadministrator 134 may access and/or monitor the data in database 130and/or modify the instructions of the servers 126, 128 viaadministration workstation 132, which may be communicably coupled to theservers 126, 128, according to embodiments of the present invention. TheVDM 10 and server 126 may be configured to exchange data based onpriority, cost, and/or size, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. For example, important data may be communicated in itsentirety, while costlier or larger or less important data may bede-prioritized, or not communicated at all, between the VDM 10 andserver 126, according to embodiments of the present invention.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10transmits all vehicle record information to another device or devicesvia the network 12. According to other embodiments of the presentinvention, the VDM 10 records all vehicle record information, eitherpermanently or in a first-in-first-out memory, and transmits vehiclerecord information to another device or devices via the network 12 onlyfor vehicle record information corresponding to a flagged event or timeor time period. According to yet other embodiments of the presentinvention, the VDM 10 only records and/or transmits vehicle informationcorresponding to a flagged event or time or time period.

FIG. 2 illustrates examples of some devices which may be communicablycoupled to the VDM 10, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. Although FIG. 2 primarily illustrates devices from which VDM10 may receive signals and/or other information about the vehicle, suchcoupling may permit two-way or bi-directional communication, orcommunication in a direction opposite to that shown in FIG. 2, accordingto embodiments of the present invention. And although various devicesare described, such devices may be independent devices or may be coupledwith other devices or share functionality with other devices, both thosekinds of devices discussed herein, and those not discussed herein,according to embodiments of the present invention.

A crew identification (ID) device 14 may be communicably coupled to theVDM 10. The crew ID device 14 may be configured to receive an indicationof an identity of a current crew member of the emergency vehicle 101,and pass the indication and/or identity on to the VDM 10, according toembodiments of the present invention. The crew ID device 14 may be, forexample, an electronic card reader, an RFID reader, a keypad, a bar codescanner, or a biometric identification system such as a voicerecognition system, a retinal scanner, a fingerprint identificationsystem, a facial recognition system, and/or the like. Each employee maycarry a unique identification card or badge or other physical mediawhich provides an identity indication to the crew ID device 14,according to embodiments of the present invention. The crew ID device 14may also include two or more different crew identification systems, forexample a fingerprint authenticator in combination with an electroniccard reader, according to embodiments of the present invention.

An accelerometer 16 may also be communicably coupled to the VDM 10. Theaccelerometer 16 may be configured to measure proper acceleration, whichmay also be referred to as a specific force, or g-force. Theaccelerometer 16 may be configured to provide a signal that can be usedto calculate the current specific force, and/or provide an indication ofa value of the specific force, to the VDM 10. According to someembodiments of the present invention, the accelerometer 16 may be adual-axis accelerometer, which indicates a specific force in each of twoperpendicular directions. These two perpendicular directions may bealigned to be parallel or substantially parallel to the plane of theground surface over which the vehicle 101 travels, for example the planeformed by the lowermost point on each of the four tires. According tosome embodiments of the present invention, one primary direction ofalignment of the accelerometer 16 is parallel with the direction oftravel of the vehicle 101, while the other primary direction ofalignment of the accelerometer 16 is perpendicular with the direction oftravel of the vehicle 101. The accelerometer 16 may also be a three-axisaccelerometer. A combination of two independent accelerometers in a waythat operates as a dual-axis accelerometer may also be referred to as adual-axis accelerometer, and a combination of three independentaccelerometers in a way that operates as a three-axis accelerometer mayalso be referred to as a three-axis accelerometer, according toembodiments of the present invention.

A seatbelt sensor 18 may also be communicably coupled to VDM 10. Theseatbelt sensor 18 may be configured to provide a signal or anindication to VDM 10 about whether a particular seatbelt is engaged fora particular seat in the vehicle 101. The data from a seatbelt sensor 18may be used in combination with the data from a seat sensor 19 todetermine whether a user is seated in a particular seat. The seatbeltsensor 18 may include a switch in the particular buckle, according toembodiments of the present invention. The seat sensor 19 may include aseat proximity sensor to determine whether a user is on or near enoughto the seat proximity sensor to indicate that the user is sitting in theseat, and/or a pressure sensor to determine whether enough pressure isexerted on the seat to indicate a user's presence in the seat, accordingto embodiments of the present invention. Both seatbelt sensor 18 andseat sensor 19 may also include signals from a vehicle's 101 on-boarddiagnostics or OBDII (“OBD”) system 20, similar to the OBDII signal thatalso instructs a driver's instrument panel to chime when the vehiclereaches a particular speed without a particular seatbelt having beensecured.

A cellphone sensor 21 may also be communicably coupled to VDM 10. Thecellphone sensor may also be a BlueTooth® or other wirelesscommunications protocol sensor, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. The cellphone sensor 21 may be configured to provide a signalto VDM 10 when a cellphone, for example a personal cellphone of driver112, is sensed in the front cabin 150, and/or is sensed in transmittingmode in the front cabin 150, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. The VDM 10 may record in the vehicle data record a safetyexception if such personal cellphone use is detected, and/or if suchpersonal cellphone use is detected during a response procedure, duringvehicle emergency operation, and/or when vehicle ignition is activated,according to embodiments of the present invention. A breath alcoholdetector may also be communicably coupled to VDM 10, in order to confirmthat the driver 112 is not impaired, according to embodiments of thepresent invention. According to some embodiments of the presentinvention, the VDM 10 may detect the presence of multiple wirelesscommunications signals, and be able to determine which signals are beinglegitimately used by VDM 10 or other vehicle devices, and which aresignals which correlate with personal mobile device use. Thesedeterminations may be made by VDM 10 based on process of elimination,according to embodiments of the present invention.

A spotter switch 22, which may also be communicably coupled to the VDM10, may be a simple switch, for example a spring-loaded button, that maybe pushed when the vehicle is backing up or in reverse, in order toindicate that a spotter is being used. Because a vehicle driver istypically unable to reach the steering wheel and gas pedals at the sametime as the spotter switch 22, the spotter switch 22 may be used toindicate the physical presence of a spotter, also known as a groundguide, behind the vehicle 101 during backing procedures, according toembodiments of the present invention.

A smoke detector 23 may also be communicably coupled to the VDM 10. Thesmoke detector 23 may be configured to provide a signal to VDM 10 whensmoke is detected, for example in the front cabin 150 and/or rear cabin152. The VDM 10 may be configured to sound an audible alarm, provide avisual alarm, and/or record a safety exception in the vehicle datarecord based on the detection of smoke and/or carbon monoxide, accordingto embodiments of the present invention.

A rotation and/or speed sensor 24 may also be communicably coupled tothe VDM 10. The speed sensor 24 may include a sensor and circuit thatcreates a wave with a frequency corresponding to the frequency ofrotation of a wheel or axle, and circuitry or other mechanisms forcounting the frequency and/or for directly counting the number ofrotations of the wheel or axle. This information may be translated intovehicle speed information, either by the speed sensor 24 and/or by theVDM 10, for example by multiplying the number of rotations per second bythe distance corresponding to each rotation in order to arrive at avehicle distance traveled per second, according to embodiments of thepresent invention. A navigation system and/or GPS device 30 may alsooperate as a speed sensor, by providing a signal corresponding to, orcalculating a value corresponding to, the change in distance of the GPSper change in time, according to embodiments of the present invention.

A video capture device 26 may also be communicably coupled to the VDM10, according to embodiments of the present invention. The video capturedevice 26 may be any imaging device capable of capturing visualinformation within its field of view, for example, a camera or acamcorder, and transmitting some or all of such visual information tothe VDM 10, according to embodiments of the present invention. Forexample, the video capture device 26 may be configured to capture atleast four frames per second, or at least eight frames per second, or atleast twenty frames per second, or at least one hundred frames persecond, whether or not each of such frames are stored in memory and/ortransmitted to the VDM 10, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. Video capture devices 26 may be internal and/or external tothe vehicle 101, and can capture both events happening inside or outsidethe vehicle, as well as weather conditions, pedestrians, other vehicles,traffic signals, and the like.

An audio capture device 28 may also be communicably coupled to the VDM10, according to embodiments of the present invention. The audio capturedevice 26 may be any audio device capable of capturing soundinformation, for example a digital sound recorder or a voice recorder,and transmitting some or all of such audio data to the VDM 10, accordingto embodiments of the present invention. The video capture device 26 andaudio capture device 28 may be one device, for example in the form of acamcorder; alternatively, one audiovisual device with both audio andvideo capabilities may serve as an audio capture device 28 only, a videocapture device 26 only, or both, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. The audio capture device 28 may also be configured to detectaudio levels and/or ambient noise, for example the level of ambientnoise in decibels, according to embodiments of the present invention.

The mobile environment 101 may also include a navigation system 30communicably coupled to the VDM 10. Navigation system 30 may be used bythe driver 112 to track the mobile environment's 101 position, locatethe mobile environment 101 and/or the emergency location, and locate thetransport destination, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. The navigation system 30 may include a Global PositioningSystem (“GPS”), for example. The navigation system 30 may also beconfigured to perform calculations about vehicle speed, the travel timebetween locations, and estimated times of arrival. According toembodiments of the present invention, the navigation system 30 islocated at the front of the ambulance to assist the driver 112 innavigating the vehicle. The navigation system 30 may be, for example, aZOLL® RescueNet® Navigator onboard electronic data communication system.The VDM 10 may also use such navigation systems to obtain posted roadspeeds, in order to make overspeed determinations, according toembodiments of the present invention.

A patient monitoring and/or treatment device 32 may also be communicablycoupled with the VDM 10, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. The device 32 may be, for example, a defibrillator and/ormonitor hooked up to and actively monitoring a patient, and configuredto provide information about a patient's condition to the VDM 10 forstorage and/or transmission along with other relevant non-patient data.For example, the device 32 may be configured to provide heart rate data,ECG waveform data, respiration data, blood pressure data, and the like,to the VDM 10.

A patient charting system 34 may also be communicably coupled to the VDM10, according to embodiments of the present invention. The patientcharting system 34 may be configured to provide information about apatient's identity or treatment to the VDM 10, according to embodimentsof the present invention. According to other embodiments of the presentinvention, the VDM 10 is communicably coupled to a back-of-ambulancesystem (not shown) which is, in turn, communicably coupled to variousclinical and non-clinical devices like the patient monitoring device 32,the patient charting device 34, and the navigation system 30, such asthe back-of-ambulance system described in U.S. Patent Application Ser.No. 61/434,808, filed on Jan. 20, 2011, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety for all purposes. Such a back-of-ambulancesystem may be configured to provide patient information and/ornavigation information in order to supplement the vehicle data recordand/or provide context for various data items in the vehicle datarecord, according to embodiments of the present invention.

A vehicle's emergency lights 504 (such as external flashing lights) andsirens 514 systems may also be communicably coupled to VDM 10, accordingto embodiments of the present invention. This permits the VDM 10 to knowwhen emergency lights 504 and sirens 514 are being used, in order tonote such data in the vehicle data record and/or use such data fordetermining whether certain conditions have been satisfied.

The vehicle's internal electro-mechanical system or systems, which mayinclude the original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) system as installedin the vehicle, the electrical signal indication component of which maybe referred to as the OBD system 20, may also be communicably coupled tothe VDM 10 and configured to transmit signals to the VDM 10 for thevehicle data record, according to embodiments of the present invention.As such, the installation of duplicate devices or sensors may be avoidedby permitting the VDM 10 to “tap into” signals of the OBD system 20.Such OBD system 20 signals may be standard to all vehicles, and/or maybe specific to a particular vehicle manufacturer. Some third partysystems incorporated into vehicle 101 may include multiplexer systemswhich combine data from various sources; VDM 10 may be communicablycoupled to such multiplexer system or systems, according to embodimentsof the present invention. FIG. 5, described below, includes additionalinformation about selected devices, sensors, and/or signals from the OBDsystem 20 that may be monitored by VDM 10, according to embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates various devices and/or indicators that may becontrolled, either totally or partially, by VDM 10, according toembodiments of the present invention. The VDM 10 may be communicablycoupled to light system 36 in order to provide visual feedback to a crewmember, for example a driver 112. The light system 36 may be, forexample, a light bulb, an instrument lighting panel, a flash bulb orstrobe light, an LED, or other light-producing device. The programminginstructions of the VDM 10 may also control a light bulb or LED to turnon and off according to a particular pattern, even if the light bulb orLED is normally intended for long-term on and off use. For example, theVDM 10 may turn on an exterior camera display depending upon turn signalactivation. If the driver is turning right, then the video displaydevice 40 may be configured to display a feed from a right-side exteriorcamera (e.g. the camera in position 5 of FIG. 6) to permit the driver todetermine if there are any vehicles or other obstructions in the rightturn trajectory. The VDM 10 may also be configured to provide audiofeedback to one or more users, for example the driver or crew members.As another example, the emergency lights 504 and/or sirens 514 may beremotely controlled from dispatch, for example from the enterprise user124, according to embodiments of the present invention.

The VDM 10 may also provide signals or control commands to the internalvehicle system 20, in order to control OEM hardware. For example,instead of controlling an independent light system 36, the VDM 10 maycontrol a vehicle lighting system 532 (see FIG. 5), for example theinterior lighting system 532 which illuminates the vehicle 101 cabinwhen a door is opened, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. The VDM 10 may also be configured to receive a remote commandto cycle on and/or off the personal computing hardware of the VDM 10and/or other devices communicably coupled to the VDM 10, according toembodiments of the present invention. VDM 10 may also permit idlecontrol: when the VDM 10 determines that the vehicle is idling and thatthe driver has activated the anti-theft system, the VDM 10 may also lookat cabin temperature and battery level, and based on such observations,it may turn off the engine of the vehicle, according to embodiments ofthe present invention. In this way, automatic vehicle idle control maybe achieved.

A vibration system 38 may also be communicably coupled to the VDM 10,and may be configured to accept commands for providing tactile feedbackto a crew member or occupant of the vehicle 101. For example, the VDM 10may be configured to activate vibration of the vibration system 38located within a driver's 112 seat when the vehicle enters an overspeedcondition, according to embodiments of the present invention. Avibration system may be included in a seat bottom, seat back, and/orsteering wheel, according to embodiments of the present invention.

A video display device 40 may be used by the VDM 10 to displayinformation to a crew member, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. The video display device 40 may be part of another device,for example the navigation system or a back-of-ambulance system, or maybe a standalone video display device. The video display device 40 isconfigured to display still or moving pictures, text, colors, and othervisual cues and signals. For example, the VDM 10 may be configured tomake the video display device 40 flash a red display when the vehicleenters an overspeed condition. The video display device 40 may be, forexample, a monitor, a screen, an LCD screen, a touch screen, aprojection device, a plasma screen, and the like. According to someembodiments of the present invention, when a vehicle user activates apanic button, the VDM 10 notifies the server 128 and the server 128causes a live video feed to be displayed on the enterprise user's 124web browser.

An audio device 42 may be used by the VDM 10 to convey audibleinformation to a crew member, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. The audio device 42 may be part of another device, forexample the navigation system or a back-of-ambulance system, or may be astandalone device. The audio device 42 is configured to convey, forexample by creating sound waves, audio information, such as voicemessages, beeps, voice notifications, alerts, alarms, and other audiocues and signals. For example, the VDM 10 may be configured to cause theaudio device 42 to beep when the vehicle enters an overspeed condition.The audio device 42 may be, for example, a speaker, a headphone, aheadset, a bell, a siren, a radio, an intercom, a telephone, and thelike. The VDM 10 may also use audio device 42 to deliver voice messagessuch as, for example, a “message of the day” from management. Suchmessages may encompass other safety aspects, and may also requireconfirmation (for example, for messages delivered in order to complywith particular regulations, standards, and/or protocol, to enter intothe vehicle data record the fact that message delivery wasacknowledged).

The navigation system 30, patient monitoring device 32, and/or patientcharting system 34 may also be configured to receive signals and/orcommands provided by the VDM 10, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. For example, the VDM 10 may be configured to cause thepatient charting system to provide a visual indication to the crewmember when a vehicle overforce condition is reached, warning the crewmember to wait before inserting an intravenous device due to thepossibility for jolting of the rear cabin 152, according to embodimentsof the present invention.

Although FIGS. 2 and 3 depict one of each described device, the system100 and/or each vehicle 101 may include multiple numbers of thedescribed devices. For example, a seatbelt sensor 18 or seat sensor 19may be included for each separate seat in the vehicle, to permit the VDM10 to specifically determine the seating and seatbelt status for eachseating position.

Some embodiments of the present invention include various steps, some ofwhich may be performed by hardware components or may be embodied inmachine-executable instructions. These machine-executable instructionsmay be used to cause a general-purpose or a special-purpose processorprogrammed with the instructions to perform the steps. Alternatively,the steps may be performed by a combination of hardware, software,and/or firmware. In addition, some embodiments of the present inventionmay be performed or implemented, at least in part (e.g., one or moremodules), on one or more computer systems, mainframes (e.g., IBMmainframes such as the IBM zSeries, Unisys ClearPath Mainframes, HPIntegrity NonStop servers, NEC Express series, and others), orclient-server type systems. In addition, specific hardware aspects ofembodiments of the present invention may incorporate one or more ofthese systems, or portions thereof.

As such, FIG. 4 is an example of a computer system 400 with whichembodiments of the present invention may be utilized. According to thepresent example, the computer system includes a bus 401, at least oneprocessor 402, at least one communication port 4003, a main memory 404,a removable storage media 405, a read only memory 406, and a massstorage 407.

Processor(s) 402 can be any known processor, such as, but not limitedto, an Intel® Itanium® or Itanium 2® processor(s), or AMD® Opteron® orAthlon MP® processor(s), or Motorola® lines of processors. Communicationport(s) 403 can be any of an RS-232 port for use with a modem baseddialup connection, a 10/100 Ethernet port, a Bluetooth® or WiFiinterface, or a Gigabit port using copper or fiber, for example.Communication port(s) 403 may be chosen depending on a network such aLocal Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), or any network towhich the computer system 400 connects. Main memory 404 can be RandomAccess Memory (RAM), or any other dynamic storage device(s) commonlyknown to one of ordinary skill in the art. Read only memory 406 can beany static storage device(s) such as Programmable Read Only Memory(PROM) chips for storing static information such as instructions forprocessor 402, for example.

Mass storage 407 can be used to store information and instructions. Forexample, hard disks such as the Adaptec® family of SCSI drives, anoptical disc, an array of disks such as RAID (e.g. the Adaptec family ofRAID drives), or any other mass storage devices may be used, forexample. Bus 401 communicably couples processor(s) 402 with the othermemory, storage and communication blocks. Bus 401 can be a PCI/PCI-X orSCSI based system bus depending on the storage devices used, forexample. Removable storage media 405 can be any kind of externalhard-drives, floppy drives, flash drives, zip drives, compact disc-readonly memory (CD-ROM), compact disc-re-writable (CD-RW), or digital videodisk-read only memory (DVD-ROM), for example. The components describedabove are meant to exemplify some types of possibilities. In no wayshould the aforementioned examples limit the scope of the invention, asthey are only exemplary embodiments of computer system 400 and relatedcomponents.

FIG. 5 illustrates examples various devices and/or signals which may becommunicably coupled with the VDM 10 and/or which the VDM 10 may beconfigured to receive or provide, based on a communicable coupling withthe vehicle's on board diagnostic and internal systems 20, according toembodiments of the present invention. For example, a vehicle 101 mayhave headlights 502, windshield wipers 506, a window position sensor 508or indicator, a sound system and/or radio 510, engine diagnostics codes512, for example codes indicating a temperature, oil pressure,maintenance, and/or engine fault condition. The vehicle 101 may furtherinclude a speedometer 516, which may be configured to provide a signalabout the vehicle's speed, a seat weight and/or proximity sensor 518, atire pressure indicator 520, a door status indicator 522 (for example, acode or device indicating whether a particular door is ajar), a fuelgauge 524, an ignition indicator 526, an heating, ventilation, and/orair conditioning (HVAC) system 528, an odometer 530 configured toindicate a vehicle's mileage, or distance traveled, as of a particulartime, a lighting system 532, and a reverse activation indicator 534,which may be a code or device that indicates when the vehicle has beenplaced into reverse gear, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. The VDM 10 may also be communicably coupled with an airbagsensor 536, in order to enter into the vehicle data record informationabout airbag deployment, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. The VDM 10 may also be communicably coupled to a throttleposition sensor 538, in order to enter into the vehicle data recordinformation about whether the driver intended to accelerate or idle, forexample. The VDM 10 may also be communicably coupled to a barometer orbarometric pressure sensor 540, for example a device or signal thatmeasures or represents a barometric manifold absolute pressure, orsimple barometric pressure, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 illustrates various placement positions for one or more videocapture devices 26, according to embodiments of the present invention.Camera position 1 is in the front cabin 150 facing toward the driver,with the driver and optionally the driver's surroundings within thefield of view. Camera position 2 is in the rear cabin 152, facing towardthe interior of the cabin 152. Camera position 7 is also in the rearcabin 152, facing toward the interior of the cabin 152. Other camerapositions are possible within the rear cabin 152. Camera positions 2 and7 are configured to capture within the video capture devices 26 fieldsof view the patient treatment area, and may be configured to receivevisual information (e.g. video frames) about the activities or status ofthe patient 116 and/or EMS technician 114, according to embodiments ofthe present invention. Camera position 3 is at or near the front of thevehicle, pointing generally in a direction of normal travel of thevehicle. Camera position 3 permits the video capture device 26 tocollect visual information about the front view of the vehicle, similarto what the driver 112 might see by looking out the windshield,according to embodiments of the present invention. Camera position 4 isat or near the rear of the vehicle 101, pointing generally in adirection opposite to normal travel of the vehicle, and permits videocapture device 26 to collect visual information about what is happeningbehind the vehicle, similar, for example, to what the driver 112 mightsee in the rear-view mirror. Camera position 5 is at or near the rightside of the vehicle 101, pointing away from the vehicle, and cameraposition 6 is at or near the left side of the vehicle 101, pointing awayfrom the vehicle. Camera positions 5 and 6 permit capture of visualinformation about what is happening outside the vehicle 101 on the sidesof the vehicle, according to embodiments of the present invention.Camera position 8 is inside the front cabin 150, facing out in the samedirection as the driver's eyes; this camera position 8 may be referredto as the driver's eye view. Numerous other camera positions arepossible for gathering various types of visual information, both insideand outside the ambulance. For example, a single camera may be mountedon the top of the vehicle 101 (not shown), and configured to rotate tovarious positions to capture the same information as camera positions 3,4, 5, and/or 6. As another example, a panoramic still camera or videocamera and/or camera with a spherical mirror may be mounted on the topof the vehicle 101 and configured to take photographs and/or video inthree-hundred sixty degree view, for later conversion to a panoramicand/or continuous image or video, according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates various emergency vehicles 101 each with a VDM 10communicably coupled (e.g. wirelessly) to network 12, and illustrateshow an enterprise user 124 may receive vehicle data from multipledifferent vehicles 101, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. For example, a supervisor 124 for a group ambulances 101 maytoggle or cycle through the live or near-live video feeds from cameraposition 1 for each ambulance 101 to see what each driver 112 is doing,according to embodiments of the present invention.

A VDM 10 according to embodiments of the present invention creates avehicle record, for example a vehicle driving safety record, based onvarious types of information which may include, without limitation,driver identification information, seatbelt information, vehicle backinginformation, force information, and speed information, according toembodiments of the present invention.

The VDM 10 may be configurable to generate individual tone activations(e.g. on/off tone activations delivered through the audio device 42)which are user configurable. The VDM 10 may deliver various types oftones, for example a growl (e.g. clicking, or “Geiger counter” typesound), intermittent tone, steady violation tone, and voice messages.The intermittent and steady tones may vary in pitch. These tones may beapplied to all users, but the volume level may be customized by eachuser according to various versions of VDM 10. In some cases, the VDM 10may use growling tones and intermittent tones as warnings and reminders,while using steady tones to indicate violations. Voice messages may beutilized to describe a particular warning or violation, and/or todelivery user-defined messages to the crew.

According to some versions of VDM 10, the tone settings are configurablefor individual vehicles, groups of vehicles, and/or the entire fleet.For example, while a driver 112 of a particular vehicle 101 may be ableto customize the tone settings for that particular vehicle 101, anenterprise user 124 may be able to configure the tone settings for eachvehicle 101, groups of vehicles, and/or the entire fleet controlled viaenterprise workstation 122. According to some embodiments of the presentinvention, the driver 112 and/or crew member 114 may turn off anindicator light which is normally configured to convey warning alertsfrom the VDM 10.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the user mayactivate with the VDM 10 an automatic audible feedback volume controlbased on vehicle speed, siren activation, and/or ambient noise level.For example, the user may configure the VDM 10 to increase the volume ofa message delivered via the audio device 42 based on the VDM 10 sensinga siren activation signal from the siren module 514, or based on the VDM10 sensing a vehicle speed (e.g. from either the speedometer module 516and/or the vehicle speed sensor 24) that is beyond a certain threshold.According to other embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10adjusts the volume of such audio messages proportionally according tothe current speed value.

The VDM 10 may also include a driver identification routine or routines,according to embodiments of the present invention. The VDM 10 in someversions may permit driver logon at any time, and may confirm it with aconfirmation tone delivered via the audio device 42. The driver IDdevice 14 may be configured to accept an indication from a driver, forexample via a programmable driver ID tag that is unique to theparticular system 100, and optionally a user-defined unique locationidentification.

In some versions, the VDM 10 may assign all recorded vehicle and driverdata to the particular driver which is logged on when the data isrecorded, for the entire “run” during which the driver was logged in.The “run” ends when the currently logged on driver is logged off. Logoffoccurs when another driver is logged on to the system, when no ignitionsignal 526 signal is detected or no engine rotation signal 24 isdetected for a particular duration of time (for example one minute), orwhen the currently logged on driver logs off of the system. This systemlogoff may occur when the currently logged on driver performs anotherlogon procedure, for example by swiping the same card through a cardreader. The VDM 10 may then confirm the logoff with a tone, for examplea different tone or different tone pattern than the logon tone or tonepattern. This may be a double beep for logoff, and a single beep forlogon. The VDM 10 may retain in its memory the information about thecurrent driver through the entire vehicle mission or “run,” even in thevent of data downloads from VDM 10, uploads, and/or power failsituations.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the driver maylog on to the VDM 10 system via a proximity device like an RFIDtransceiver, a biometric system, and/or an interface to another datasource that may already contain the information about the currentdriver, such as a crew scheduler software application. If a crewscheduler software application is used by VDM 10 to indicate the currentdriver, the VDM 10 may prompt the driver for confirmation before loggingon the driver, according to embodiments of the present invention.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10permits remote login through its connection with network 12. Forexample, a dispatcher, who may be using enterprise workstation 122, mayremotely log on a driver or a crew member into the VDM 10 system,according to embodiments of the present invention.

The VDM 10 may deliver via audio device 42 a voice message, or via videodisplay device 40 a video message, at the time of crew member logon.This message, as well as the options for its delivery, may beconfigurable by the user. For example, a particular driver 112 mayconfigure VDM 10 to deliver the greeting message to the particulardriver 112 only once per day, regardless of the number of times that thesame driver 112 logs on to the VDM 10 system, according to embodimentsof the present invention.

The content of such voice or video messages may also be customized toeach user and/or vehicle and/or situation. For example, once VDM 10determines a particular driver's identity, the VDM 10 may be configuredto deliver a voice message that says, “Welcome, driver. This is your _login to this vehicle,” in which the VDM 10 fills in the blank with avoice representation of a number of times which the same driver haslogged on to the same vehicle, for example “first” or “tenth” or “onehundred forty-seventh,” according to embodiments of the presentinvention. According to other embodiments of the present invention, theVDM 10 is configured to provide customized messages to the user based onthe user's classification, for example if the user is a supervisor, theVDM 10 says at login “welcome supervisor,” but if the user is not asupervisor, the VDM 10 plays at login “welcome driver.” This informationwhich the VDM 10 uses to identify whether the driver falls into aparticular class may be stored locally in VDM 10, stored remotely inremote database 130, and/or stored on the user's ID media, for examplethe user's RFID enabled identification badge. The VDM 10 may alsorecognize, based on the driver's identification or based on previouslystored information, that the driver's name is John Doe, and may beconfigured to deliver a greeting via audio device 42 that says “WelcomeJohn Doe.”

In addition to tracking the identity of the current driver, the VDM 10may also be configured to accept and track the identities of one or morecrew members. For example, a crew ID device 14 may be located in therear cabin 152 and permit a crew member to log in in a fashion similarto the driver login described above. A crew ID device 14 may also belocated on the exterior of the vehicle 101, for example on one or bothrear corners, to permit a spotter to identify him or herself while atthe same time indicating their presence and function as a spotter. Crewidentification data may also come to VDM 10 from another application,such as a crew scheduling software application either locally or onenterprise workstation 122, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. The crew identification and logon process may use the same ordifferent tone, voice messaging, and/or data recording as used for thedriver, according to embodiments of the present invention.

In some cases, if the VDM 10 detects the presence of ignition or an RPMsignal for the engine (for a customizable, or developer-defined,duration and/or combination of time and presence of a speed parameter),and there is no driver logged in, then the VDM 10 may log in an “unknowndriver” for the vehicle data record. The system functionality andreporting capabilities for the unknown driver may be the same as thosefor known drivers. In some versions, if the VDM 10 detects ignition oran engine RPM signal, and no speed, while the unknown driver is loggedon, the VDM 10 may deliver an intermittent tone. If speed is detectedwhile the unknown driver is logged on in such situations, a steady tonemay be sent through the audio device 42 by VDM 10.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10 delivers avoice message concerning unknown driver activity, for example a voicemessage that says “Unknown driver” or the like. According to someembodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10 permits customizedsettings, for example for safety exception/violation reports and driveraudible feedback, based on the individual driver identity and/or thegroup or classification to which the driver is assigned. Suchclassification or individual identity may be obtained from the crew IDdevice 14 and/or obtained from an outside data source such as a crewscheduling system, according to embodiments of the present invention.For example, a supervisor may be able to drive at a higher speed than anon-supervisor, without an overspeed violation tone, and a driver havinga probationary classification, or an unknown driver, may have loweroverspeed settings than both the supervisor and non-supervisor or EMT,according to embodiments of the present invention.

The VDM 10 may also detect an attempted improper driver change andeither record or prohibit or warn against the change if a new driverlogin is received when the vehicle is traveling faster than apredetermined speed, according to embodiments of the present invention.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10 tracksseatbelt data and/or seat sensor data for one or more seats. Forexample, the VDM 10 receives a signal from the seatbelt sensor 18 of thedriver 112, and sounds a tone when a vehicle speed is detected while thedriver's seatbelt is unfastened or unbuckled, or is unfastened orunbuckled for a user defined period of time. According to embodiments ofthe present invention, the VDM 10 plays a user customized voice messagevia audio device 42 when a seat belt violation is detected. According toother embodiments, the VDM 10 receives a signal from seat sensor 19indicating that an individual is seated in the particular chair, butreceives a signal from the corresponding seatbelt sensor 18 indicatingthat the seatbelt is not fastened for that particular chair, and basedon the determination provides an alert to the driver and/or theparticular user seated in the seat and/or another crew member, and/orrecords the seatbelt violation in the vehicle record. The VDM 10 maytrack the seatbelt status and seating status of each seat in thevehicle, and/or the safety straps and/or presence of a patient in thepatient cot, according to embodiments of the present invention. Sensingwhether a patient is in the patient's cot or whether the patient isproperly restrained in the patient cot may permit the VDM 10 to storedata that may be used to evidence compliance with a particularregulation, standard, and/or protocol. The VDM 10 may also be configuredto generate a warning message and/or record a safety exception in thevehicle record if the seatbelt is fastened before a user is detected inthe chair, according to embodiments of the present invention. The VDM 10may also interface with other third party systems, or the vehicle's onboard systems 20, which also detect the seatbelt and/or seating statusfor multiple seating positions, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

The VDM 10 may also track what may be referred to as “backing”information for the vehicle 101. In large vehicles like ambulances, itis often difficult for the driver to see potential obstacles locatedbehind the vehicle, which must be avoided while backing up theambulance. Thus, a spotter may be advantageous, because the spotter maystand behind the vehicle and shout information and/or use hand gesturesto alert the driver of obstacles, or to direct the driver about whichway to turn or how fast to go. A vehicle 101 may include a spotterswitch 22. When the VDM 10 senses that the vehicle is in reverse drive,for example from a reverse activation signal 534, and if any vehiclespeed is detected for a certain amount of time (e.g. two seconds ormore), the VDM 10 may be configured to accept the activation of thespotter switch 22 for a user defined period of time before and after thestart of the reverse activation, and the switch activation may serve toindicate the activation for a user defined period of time, which mayeliminate the need for multiple switch depressions during subsequentback-and-forth backing maneuvers. This may be particularly beneficialfor a parallel parking maneuver, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

The backing alerts and reporting activation criteria (for entry into thevehicle record) may be user configurable on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis.If the VDM 10 begins to implement the spotter logic, and does not detecta spotter switch 22 activation, an intermittent tone may be produced toremind the driver of the spotter requirement. Detection of the spotterswitch 22 activation may halt the tone. If the user-defined timeparameters expire during a detected backing occurrence, and if there hasbeen no spotter switch 22 activation, a steady tone for a limited lengthof time may be produced, indicating that a violation has occurred. Ifthe time parameter expires while the vehicle is still in reverse, theviolation tone may continue until the vehicle is taken out of reverse orthe spotter switch 22 is activated, according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, a switch orother indicating device accessible from the driver's seat, or simply adetection of the reverse activity by the VDM 10, may activate a backingcamera, for example a video camera in position 4 in FIG. 6, which maysubstitute for an activation of the spotter button. Also, a user-definedvoice message or video message may be played in addition to, or insteadof, the tone activity for a backing violation, according to embodimentsof the present invention. According to other embodiments of the presentinvention, the backing parameters of the VDM 10 are configurable, forexample the VDM 10 may determine that a supervisor is logged as thecurrent driver, and then disable the backing warning systems andviolation recording. According to embodiments of the present invention,a crew member ID device 14 is placed at or near the back of the vehicle101, for example at or near the spotter switch 22, and is used by theVDM 10 to determine an identity of a crew member who is serving as thespotter.

The VDM 10 according to embodiments of the present invention may sensespecific forces (e.g. G-forces) experienced by the vehicle 101, and/orcalculate acceleration experienced by the vehicle 101, and determine aforce value based on the measurements and/or calculations. According tosome embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10 uses theaccelerometer 16, which may be a dual- or triple-axis accelerometer, todetermine an instantaneous specific force being experienced by thevehicle 101. For this purpose, the accelerometer 16 may be rigidly fixedto the vehicle 101, such that any acceleration experienced by thevehicle 101 are also experienced by the accelerometer 16. Theinstantaneous specific force may include one force componentsubstantially aligned with the direction of normal travel of the vehicle101, for example the front-to-back direction. The instantaneous specificforce may also include a force component substantially perpendicular tothe direction of normal travel, for example the side-to-side direction.According to some embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10receives from accelerometer 16, and/or determines based on signalsreceived from the accelerometer 16, an instantaneous specific force thatis a magnitude of the vector sum formed by the front-to-back forcevector component and the side-to-side force vector component. Thisinstantaneous specific force magnitude may be referred to as anaccelerometer specific force.

According to other embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10receives from accelerometer 16, and/or determines based on signalsreceived from the accelerometer 16, an instantaneous specific force thatis a magnitude of the vector sum formed by the front-to-back forcevector component, and any side-to-side force vector componentexperienced while the speed of the vehicle is above a certain speedsetpoint. This “masking” of the side-to-side force vector componentbased on vehicle speed may assist VDM 10 in filtering “false” orundesired overforce readings caused, for example, by centripetal forceexerted on the vehicle 101 when the vehicle 101 is turning. As usedherein, the term “instantaneous” when applied to a force or speed orother measurement or value is used in its broadest sense to refer to aparticular value at the moment in time, and/or an averaged value overtimes at or near to the particular moment in time, and/or smoothedvalues over times at or near to the particular time. For example, theVDM 10 may use, when implementing its logic, an instantaneous specificforce magnitude that is determined from averaging accelerometer 16measurements made each ten milliseconds.

The VDM 10 may also determine actual vehicle 101 acceleration in adifferent way, for comparison with the accelerometer specific force(both of which may be expressed in distance per square second). The VDM10 receives high precision speed information from speed sensor 24, forexample in the form of pulses or “clicks” which may be counted overtime. As on example, a very high precision speed sensor may beconfigured to provide several thousand discrete pulses or clicks for agiven revolution of the drive shaft and/or axle and/or vehicle wheel.This permits the VDM 10 to determine an instantaneous speed of thevehicle 101, for example by measuring average time between pulses. TheVDM 10 may calculate a rate of change of the instantaneous vehicle speedto determine an instantaneous acceleration. Prefiltering may be used forthe accelerometer 12 and/or speed sensor 24 signals in order to smooththe signals, according to embodiments of the present invention.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10compares, for a particular moment in time or range of time, theaccelerometer specific force with the instantaneous acceleration, anduses the lower value of the two as the current observed acceleration ofthe vehicle. This may reduce the probability of obtaining “false” orundesirable overforce alerts or records when one device experiences ananomalistic spike based on activity unrelated to unsafe driving. Forexample, the accelerometer 16 may sense a spike in specific force if thevehicle 101 hits a bump in the road, while the instantaneousacceleration falls well within the acceptable range—using the lowerobserved acceleration value may prevent a warning tone and a violationrecord. The VDM 10 compares the current observed acceleration of thevehicle to a preset acceleration (or g-force) value. This presetacceleration or g-force value may be referred to as the “safe force.”The safe force may be similar to the SAFEFORCE® value as measured by theZOLL RescueNet Road Safety system, according to embodiments of thepresent invention. When the observed acceleration exceeds the safeforce, the VDM 10 may be configured to alert the crew member (e.g. thedriver), and/or create an entry in the vehicle record to reflect asafety violation.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10 isconfigured to warn the driver before the observed acceleration reachesthe safe force. For example, the VDM 10 may be configured to provide,through the audio device 42, a growling noise when the observedacceleration exceeds eighty percent of the safe force value. The VDM 10may be configured to escalate the growling noise to an intermittent toneindication when the observed acceleration exceeds ninety percent of thesafe force value, and may be configured to provide a loud steady tonenoise/alarm when the observed acceleration exceeds the safe force value,to indicate an actual violation, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. These ranges and/or tones may be customized, for example, thegrowling may indicate an observed acceleration of ninety to one hundredpercent of safe force, a steady tone may indicate an observedacceleration of 100 to 110% of safe force, and a strong tone or alarmmay indicate a severe overforce condition of over 110% of safe force,according to embodiments of the present invention.

According to other embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10 maybe configured to implement a “grace period” before warning a driverand/or recording a safety exception in the vehicle record. For example,the VDM 10 may be configured to identify a particular condition only ifthe condition is maintained for a particular amount of time, for exampleat least a half second. According to other embodiments, the VDM 10 isconfigured to provide to the user a voice message, video message, orother indication that the user is about to be warned of, and/or reportedas, violating a safety rule, and to give the user a certain amount oftime to correct the perceived safety violation.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the user (e.g. thevehicle fleet manager) may define force settings or values aspercentages of the safe force. For example, the user may define awarning range, a low overforce range, and a high overforce range. Whenthe observed acceleration reaches the warning setting, the VDM 10produces a growl (e.g. through audio device 42). As the force levelincreases, the frequency of the growl may increase (from slow to fast),until a low overforce setting is reached. When the low overforce settingis reached or exceeded, the VDM 10 may produce a steady tone for theduration of the low overforce occurrence. When the observed accelerationreaches or exceeds the value of the high overforce setting, the VDM 10may produce a tone of a higher frequency during the entire time when thehigh overforce condition is detected. According to some embodiments ofthe present invention, the VDM 10 causes a growl to be produced for atleast one second, to indicate a warning before noting any violation.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the warning andoverforce ranges may be configurable, for example configurable based onthe driver's identity. The VDM 10 may determine the driver's identityvia the crew ID device 14, and then set the warning and overforce rangesaccordingly. For example, when the driver 112 is determined to have avehicle maintenance personnel classification, the VDM 10 may beconfigured to raise the warning and overforce settings much higher tofacilitate vehicle problem diagnosis by the driver.

The VDM 10 according to some embodiments of the present invention isalso configured to monitor vehicle speed, and in overspeed conditions tonotify the driver and/or crew, and/or to record a violation in thevehicle record. The VDM 10 may be configured with different settings foremergency and non-emergency driving. For example, emergency driving maypermit higher safe force values that non-emergency driving. Theemergency driving setting may be activated with a button or switch. Forexample, the VDM 10 may be configured to enter the emergency drivingsettings when it detects that the emergency lights 504 and/or sirens 514have been activated. According to some embodiments of the presentinvention, the VDM 10 may be configured to accept a remote command, forexample from a dispatcher 124 via an enterprise workstation 122, toactivate or de-activate emergency driving settings. For example, whenthe dispatcher 124 sends out an EMS response command via enterpriseworkstation 122, and a particular vehicle 101 indicates (for example inits navigation system 30) that it is responding, the authorization toVDM 10 to enter emergency driving status may be received either with theinitial dispatch, or via a subsequent automatic or manual activation bythe dispatcher 124 via workstation 122.

Emergency and non-emergency driving settings may include varioussettings, similar to the safe force settings. For example, the VDM 10may be configured to act upon an overspeed setting, a high overspeedsetting, and a duration setting. The overspeed and high overspeed valuesmay be set as either a maximum speed (e.g. in miles per hour orkilometers per hour). According to some embodiments of the presentinvention, the VDM 10 receives location information and/or posted speedlimit information from the navigation system 30, in order to determinethe posted speed limit at the current vehicle 101 location. Theoverspeed and high overspeed values may alternatively be set as a valueby which the driver may exceed the posted speed limit, or the assignedspeed limit for the particular road classification (e.g. highway, dirtroad). The VDM 10 accessing base speed limit information from a mappingdatabase, for example the mapping database of navigation system 30and/or other database accessible via network 12, may be referred to asdynamic overspeed determination. The VDM 10 may be configured to measurea duration for which a particular overspeed condition has been observed,and may also be configured to accept a particular overspeed durationsetting.

When the vehicle 101 is operated in the overspeed range, the VDM 10 maycause an audible growl to be emitted. If the overspeed time exceeds theduration setting, the VDM 10 may change the audible growl to an audibleviolation tone, and may continue the tone until the vehicle 101 speeddrops below the overspeed setting, according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

When the vehicle 101 is operated in the high overspeed range, the VDM 10may be configured to cause a tone at a higher frequency, for examplewithout any duration setting or grace period. The tone may continueuntil the speed drops below the high overspeed setting, but may remaintoning at a lower frequency if the vehicle is still in an overspeedcondition, according to embodiments of the present invention.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10 maybe configured to provide a voice message and/or video message toindicate to the driver an overspeed, high overspeed, and/or grace periodcondition. According to some embodiments, speed settings may beconfigurable based on driver identification. For example, new drivers,inexperienced drivers, or drivers who are new to the particular vehicle101, may have lower configured overspeed settings than more experienceddrivers.

The VDM 10 may provide alerts to the driver for other conditions, forexample, an indication that the vehicle 101 is in motion with theparking brake on. The VDM 10 may also include an audio output port tointerface with other OEM and/or aftermarket audio systems, for exampleFirecom® communications systems. According to some embodiments of thepresent invention, the VDM 10 may be configured to provide seatbeltstatus information via the video display device 40. The VDM 10 may alsobe configured to provide a visual force indicator via the video displaydevice 40; for example, the VDM 10 may use colors and/or shapes toexpress a magnitude of overforce and/or overspeed violations (e.g. redfor high overforce, yellow for low overforce, and green for noviolation). A visual force indicator may also be used that is not partof a video display device 40; for example, an LED panel mayprogressively light up additional LEDs as the force gets higher, and maychange color to the overforce or high overforce conditions, or overspeedand high overspeed conditions.

The VDM 10 may also perform other roles, for example providing a voicemessage via video display device 40 if it determines that the vehicle101 has been idling for an excess (e.g. user-defined) period of time.This may be detected by the VDM 10 receiving a signal that the ignition526 is active, while receiving a zero speed signal from the speed sensor24 for the particular period of time.

The VDM 10 may also be communicably coupled to one or more panicbuttons, which activate an alarm when pushed or activated. Such buttonsmay be configured to notify the VDM 10 to activate the light system 36,sirens 514, emergency lights 504, lighting system 532, and/or othersystems, according to embodiments of the present invention. The VDM 10may also be configured to provide voice messaging and/or video messagingto the crew to alert the crew to a potential maintenance concern withthe vehicle 101 based on signals from the internal on board diagnosticssystem 20, for example low oil pressure, high coolant temperature, highbrake temperature, check engine signal, and the like. The VDM 10 mayalso be configured to monitor maintenance-related info, both withrespect to time and over time, such as distances driven, active enginetime, and engine distance.

The VDM 10 may also be configured to provide user-defined voice messagesand/or video messages for user defined events that are not related tovehicle operation, for example a reminder to gather all equipmentfollowing an EMS response. The VDM 10 may also be configured to providedriver notification, as well as log in the vehicle record, other typesof driving violations. For example, the VDM 10 may be communicablycoupled to a proximity sensor at the front and/or rear of the vehicle101, and may be configured to monitor whether the vehicle 101 is tooclose to a vehicle in front (e.g. “tailgating”) or a vehicle behind. TheVDM 10 may be communicably coupled with a vibration sensor or othersensor capable of determining whether the vehicle 101 is veering orcommitting lane departure, and warn the driver and log the conditionaccordingly. The vibration sensor may be used, for example, to determinewhether one or more of the wheels is driving over the shoulder warningtrack.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10permits real time voice over IP messaging, for example via network 12.The driver 112 may communicate with a dispatcher 124 with back-and-forthvoice communications via VDM 10, which may include both live voicecommunications and/or prerecorded and prompted (either automatically ormanually) voice messages. Such audio communication may be accomplishedvia audio device 42, and/or via the sound system or radio 510 of thevehicle 101, according to embodiments of the present invention.

With its communicable coupling to network 12, the VDM 10 may also beconfigured to provide both local (LAN) and remote (WAN) communicationsof data, including ad hoc requests for the vehicle data record orportions thereof, as well as continuous streaming or real-timecommunication of vehicle record data. The VDM 10 may permit a user todownload and upload data via an existing Wi-Fi network, for example byincluding a Wi-Fi card as part of the VDM 10, according to embodimentsof the present invention. The VDM 10 may also permit a user to downloadand upload data via cellular connection to a cellular data modem or aircard; according to some embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10utilizes and manages cellular communications through its own cellular“dongle” and/or SIM card. This functionality may be accomplished, forexample, by using a wireless EMS communications interface device withthe VDM 10, for example those described in Patent Cooperation TreatyApplication Serial No. PCT/US11/31868, filed on Apr. 9, 2011, which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10 mayinterface with, and/or be communicably coupled with, multiple device andapplications for the purpose of sharing data, for example via Ethernetand Wi-Fi connections. For example, the VDM 10 may interface with thenavigation system 30 as described above to obtain road segmentinformation in order to set dynamic overspeed conditions. The VDM 10 mayalternatively carry mapping information internally, to enable dynamicoverspeed determinations. In some cases, the mapping information storedon VDM 10 may be periodically updated via network 12. The VDM 10 mayalso be configured to determine and/or note in the vehicle recordwhether the vehicle 101 is within a school zone, according toembodiments of the present invention.

The VDM 10 may also be configured to provide data to other applications,for example an EMS data management suite, for example ZOLL RescueNet®.This may be done by cellular connection, for example, or by 900 MHzradio which may communicate through a serial connection, to download andupload data. The VDM 10 may serve as a Wi-Fi hotspot, enabling otherapplications to utilize the VDM's cellular or other connectivity; theVDM 10 may also communicate with other devices via Bluetooth®.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, a user (forexample a dispatcher) may connect to the VDM 10 via Wi-Fi, cellular,and/or USB hard wire and view the status and values of all (or anysubset of specified) monitored and controlled vehicle and driveractivities in real time. The VDM 10 may continue to monitor and controlnotifications even during communications, including downloading anduploading of vehicle record data. The VDM 10 may communicate with thevehicle computer (for example using OBDII and J protocols), and may sendrequests for data to the vehicle computer system 20, according toembodiments of the present invention. The VDM 10 may be configured tocommunicate with vehicle computer systems 20 made according to thestandards in various international markets, including the UnitedKingdom, Europe, South America, US, and elsewhere. The VDM 10 may alsobe user configurable to prioritize and schedule Wi-Fi and cellularcommunications, so as to minimize the impact to cellular bandwidth. Forexample, the VDM 10 may be configured to communicate via network 12during non-peak cellular usage hours.

The VDM 10 may also be configured to enhance a user's experience wheninteracting with the system 100. For example, the VDM 10 software may bewritten to an enterprise data store, for example data store 130.Back-end database 130 may store such data about the vehicle record fromVDM 10, and such data may be accessed with a certain set of services,for example proprietary or open web services, according to embodimentsof the present invention. protocols, in order to provide a webapplication accessible from enterprise workstation 122, personalcomputers, smart phones, iPads®, and other devices with internetconnectivity, via encrypted secured connections. The applicationsoftware for accessing the VDM 10 data may reside on the end user'sserver and/or a server hosted by the VDM 10 manufacturer, according toembodiments of the present invention. The system administrator 134 forsystem 100 may control the quantity and the specified serial numbers (orother unique identification numbers) of the VDM 10 devices supported bythe application. The system administrator 134, via the enterpriseenvironment 103, may also control the number of drivers that the systemwill support. For example, the enterprise user 124 may obtain from thesystem administrator 134 the rights to have the data from up to five VDM10 devices accessed via enterprise workstation 122. If the enterpriseuser wanted to add a sixth VDM 10 to the web interface system, theenterprise user would need to obtain activation from the systemadministrator 134, according to embodiments of the present invention.

The enterprise environment 103, including enterprise application server128 and enterprise storage server 126, may be configured to enable anddisable specific functions within the application program, and set timeparameters for the expiration of specific functions or operability. Theapplication program may be password protected, enabling users to assignspecific access and control levels to various multiple users. The systemadministrator 134 may be given an override and/or “back door” access tothe application program in the enterprise application server 128, forexample. For example, if the VDM 10, or the enterprise user 124,discovers that the vehicle 101 associated with the VDM 10 has beenstolen, the enterprise user 124 may remotely disable the vehicle, forexample by sending a command via VDM 10 to end the engine ignition 526,according to embodiments of the present invention. The VDM 10 may beconfigured with a battery power source, and upon receiving an indicationof having been stolen or lost, the VDM 10 may continue to power itselfand the GPS 32, so as to permit location of the stolen or lost vehicle101 using VDM 10, according to embodiments of the present invention.

The enterprise environment 103 may be configured to store some of all ofthe vehicle data record, including both driver safety andmedical/patient encounter information, for all vehicles and allencounters, according to embodiments of the present invention. Theenterprise storage server 126 and/or enterprise application server 128,which may be a single server or separate servers, may be configured topermit access to the vehicle record data, to permit report generationbased on a number of different user selectable factors, including time,vehicle ID, driver ID, and other factors.

Report generation may be accomplished on a periodic (e.g. daily, weekly,monthly) basis, and/or may be done on an ad hoc basis by an enterpriseworkstation 122 accessing the enterprise application server 128. Reportsmay be accessible and/or delivered in an electronic format, for examplea spreadsheet format. Report generation may be password protected, andaccess to all reporting data may be limited to an individual, aspecified group of individuals, or all individuals (e.g. full access),according to embodiments of the present invention. Access to specificreports, for example vehicle maintenance reports, may be controlled,according to embodiments of the present invention.

The reports accessible via enterprise application server 128 may includesome of all of the data collected by the VDM 10, for some of all of theVDMs 10 in the particular fleet or the particular system 100. Theenterprise user 124 may establish a profile and/or set variousconfiguration settings, which may be stored on the enterpriseapplication server 128 and/or the enterprise workstation 122. Thereports generated may access the profile and/or configuration settingsto determine which data to display, and how to display it. For example,the reporting module may be configurable to show or toggle between UScustomary and metric values for measurements. Most report generation maybe accessed from a single, user-friendly query screen displayed onenterprise workstation 122, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. To simplify the menu and the screen, some of the selectiondefaults or drop-down menus may be displayed and selected on asub-screen or other configuration screen, according to embodiments ofthe present invention.

The report query screen may allow the user to select individualvehicles, a group of vehicles, or all vehicles, and show vehicle datarecords or statistics for the vehicle(s), according to embodiments ofthe present invention. The report query screen may allow the user toselect individual drivers, a group of drivers, or all drivers, and showvehicle data records or statistics for the selected driver(s), accordingto embodiments of the present invention. The report query may allow theuser to create reports based on a specific driver or group of driversthat operated a specific vehicle or group of vehicles, according toembodiments of the present invention. The report query may allow a userto select a date and/or time range, according to embodiments of thepresent invention. The default time range in the report query interfacemay be by twenty-four hour increments (e.g. the time default ismidnight), but the time range may also be editable to select a moreprecise range, according to embodiments of the present invention. Thereport query may also permit a user to filter information displayed inthe report based on a minimum distance traveled (for example in tenthsof a mile or kilometer) and/or time duration (in seconds) for specificevents, according to embodiments of the present invention.

The report query may provide for the selection of a summary of therequested data, or trends for the selected data, based on user-definedtrend periods, which may not apply for some reports. The report querymay also allow the user to include or exclude active or inactivevehicles, and/or active or inactive drivers. The report query mayfurther permit the user to consolidate data from like named vehiclesand/or like named drivers, or have like named vehicles and/or driverslisted separately, according to embodiments of the present invention.This capability may be helpful in systems which include multiple driveridentification tags assigned to the same driver, with the lost orinactive tags being placed onto an inactive list, according toembodiments of the present invention.

The report query may permit the user to include or omit indicators thatthere is no data available for portions of the selected query date,vehicle, and/or driver, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. The user may save, name, and later load, user-createdqueries. When the user loads a user-created query, the query mayautomatically populate with the most recent and accurate results,according to embodiments of the present invention. The user may exportdata from, and/or print reports, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

The enterprise application server 128 may be configured to provide a“run report” to users 124. The run report may display the date and/ortime of run start and run end, duration of run, distance traveled, anddriver login information during the run. A run may be a continuousdriver log on event, for example, or may be a particular patienttransport, for example. A driver logon may occur as described, above,including an “unknown driver” login for runs without an identifieddriver. The driver may be logged off when the ignition is cycled off,another driver is logged in, and/or the appropriate action is taken tolog off the currently logged in driver (for example touching thecurrently logged in driver ID tag to the crew member ID device 14).Multiple consecutive driver login activity from the same driver, withoutintervening ignition and/or vehicle speed activity, may be consolidatedinto one run. The run report may display a summary of the number ofruns, total distance traveled, and/or total run time. An example of arun report as it may be displayed via web interface with server 128 isillustrated at FIG. 9, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providea “run report—detail” which, in addition to some or all of the datadisplayed in the “run report,” may include a subset of data for each runincluding the description, time, duration, and maximum value of anyviolation (e.g. overforce or overspeed) that occurred during the run,according to embodiments of the present invention. The violationsindicated may include, for example, speeding, overforce, seatbeltviolations, backing violations, and/or excess idle times. The detailedrun report may also display a summary of the number of runs, totaldistance traveled, and/or total run time, according to embodiments ofthe present invention. According to some embodiments of the presentinvention, when the user is viewing a run report, the user can activatea “hot key” to toggle between the run report and a map or video of thespecific run.

The violations displayed in the detailed run report may include any userdefined events that occurred during the run, and may also include adispatch identifier such as those generated by dispatch software foreach run.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providean “overspeed report.” The overspeed report may display a date and/ortime of an overspeed, the overspeed duration, the distance traveled, themaximum speed, the driver identification, and/or indicate whether theoverspeed occurred while running in emergency mode, according toembodiments of the present invention. The overspeed report may summarizethe total number, duration, and distance of overspeeds, and compare suchtotals to the total run time and distance traveled for the vehiclesand/or drivers identified in the query, according to embodiments of thepresent invention. According to some embodiments of the presentinvention, the overspeed report may further include posted speed limitinformation for the time when the overspeed occurrence occurred,according to embodiments of the present invention. An example of anoverspeed report as it may be generated by server 128 via web interfaceis illustrated at FIG. 11, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. FIG. 12 illustrates a report showing speed range data as apercentage of time for a particular day/time range, according toembodiments of the present invention.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providean “overforce report.” The overforce report may display a date and/ortime of an overforce event, the total duration of the overforce event,the high overforce duration time, the maximum overforce observedacceleration value, the primary direction of the overforce (e.g.acceleration, deceleration, right turn, or left turn), an identificationof the driver, and an indication of whether the overforce occurred whilethe VDM 10 was in emergency mode. The overforce report may alsosummarize the total number and duration of overforce events, and comparesuch totals to the total run time and/or distance traveled for thevehicles and drivers queried, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providea “seatbelt report,” which may display a date and/or time of a seatbeltviolation, the duration of the violation, the distance traveled underviolation, and whether the violation occurred while running in emergencymode. The seatbelt report may include an identification of theparticular seating position or positions for which the violationoccurred, and may summarize the total number, duration, and distancetraveled for seatbelt violations. The seatbelt report may also include acomparison of such totals to the total run time and/or distance traveledfor the particular vehicles and/or drivers in question.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providea “backing report,” which may display a date and/or time of a backingviolation, the duration of the violation, the distance (for example tothe hundredth of a mile or kilometer) for the backing violation, thedriver identification, and an indication of whether the backingviolation occurred while the VDM 10 was in emergency mode, according toembodiments of the present invention. The backing report may include allbacking incidents, indicating which incidents were in violation, andsummarizing a comparison of the total incidents to those that wereand/or were not indicated as violations, according to embodiments of thepresent invention. Such reports may also include identity informationfor the ground guide, or spotter, who served to assist the driver in thebacking procedure.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providean “idle report,” which may display the date and/or time of an idlingviolation, the duration, the maximum idle time value, the driveridentity, and whether the violation occurred while in emergency mode.The percent of time parameter may be defined by the user for emergencymode operation, according to embodiments of the present invention. Theidle report may also summarize the total number and duration of idleviolations, and include a comparison of such totals to the total runtime and distance traveled for the vehicles and/or drivers in question.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providea “daily distance report,” which may display the beginning odometerreading, ending odometer reading, and total distance traveled for eachday over a particular period of time, according to embodiments of thepresent invention. The daily distance report may summarize average dailydistance and total distance traveled for each queried vehicle, and theaverage daily distance and cumulative distance traveled for all queriedvehicles, according to embodiments of the present invention.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providea “driver log report,” which may display log on and log off data andtime, vehicle identity, driver identity, duration, and distance traveledduring log in activity, for a particular period of time, according toembodiments of the present invention. The driver log report may alsodisplay a method of login used by the driver, for example manual login,keypad login, magnetic card reader login, RFID login, face recognitionlogin, and/or the like.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providean “event report,” which may permit the user to create and view customreports based on user identifiable parameters using a logicalexpression. For example, to create an event report, the user may requesta display of all data for times when the parking brake was activated andthe vehicle 101 was moving (e.g. had a positive speed value) for tenseconds or more. The enterprise storage server 126 may capture, record,and store into database 130 all data from VDM 10 in a high resolution,second-by-second format. The enterprise application server 128 maypermit users to create reports from the data based on ad hoc queries.For example, the user could query all instances of data for a specificdriver in a specific vehicle that was traveling in excess oftwenty-three miles per hour with the windshield wipers on and the sirenoff for a duration of sixty-three seconds or more. In such situations,the VDM 10 is not preprogrammed to record such specific parameters, butthe fact that all of the data from the VDM 10 (and/or a high resolutionversion of the data from the VDM 10) has been captured by the enterpriseenvironment 103 permits such specific reports to be compiled. FIG. 10illustrates an example of an event report as it may be displayed byserver 128 via a web browser interface, according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providea “last download report,” which may display a list of all vehicles 101and/or VDM systems 10, the date and/or time of the last data downloadfrom that VDM 10, the starting date and time corresponding to the datathat was downloaded, the odometer reading at the time of download,and/or the following information that may have occurred during thedownload period: distance traveled, unknown driver distance, maintenancetrouble codes recorded, flagged driver activity (e.g. a lost driver tagor ID device), a power failure (e.g. the VDM 10 hardware is unplugged),and/or egregious occurrences and/or events (e.g. high overforce, highoverspeed events). The last download report may also include a VDM 10firmware version, and indicate whether any holes or gaps exist withinthe data (for example, by comparing previous download date/time stampsto current download date/time stamps). The last download report may alsoinclude a display of user defined events, for example those eventsdeemed to be egregious safety violations. The last download report mayalso display the last day and/or time that the VDM 10 responded to anapplication “ping,” which may be set at a user defined interval,according to embodiments of the present invention. An example of a lastdownload report as displayed via a web interface with server 128 isillustrated at FIG. 8, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providea “digital input report,” which displays the number of all digital inputactivations, duration of the activation, and distance traveled whileactivated. The digital input report may also provide an identificationof the type of each activation, for example an identification of thedevice providing information via the digital input, according toembodiments of the present invention.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providean “analog input report,” which may display values with date and/or timestamps for analog input activity. The default display for the analoginput report may be in graphical format, which may be displayed so as toallow the user to identify the device being monitored and/or aninterpretation of what the values from the device mean. For example, thedevice output may be registering a signal of 3.5 volts, which means thatthe ambient air temperature is sixteen degrees Celsius. The system mayalso provide the analog input data in a spreadsheet type format,according to embodiments of the present invention.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providea “speed ranges report,” which may display the time spent and distancetraveled while within user-defined speed ranges. The report may includeaverages for all queried vehicles and/or drivers, according toembodiments of the present invention.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providea “throttle position report,” which may provide a date, time, duration,and/or value of the throttle position activity which exceedsuser-defined parameters for the throttle position, according toembodiments of the present invention.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providea “maintenance report,” which may display any trouble codes recordedduring a particular period of time, a particular run or set of runs, fora particular vehicle, according to embodiments of the present invention.These trouble codes may be received from the vehicle OBD 20 system,according to embodiments of the present invention.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providea “fuel report,” which may indicate date, time, and odometer reading ofeach detected refueling activity, according to embodiments of thepresent invention. The fuel report may also indicate occurrences ofdramatic fuel loss, which may help to detect fuel theft and/or majorfuel line rupture. The VDM 10 may be communicably coupled to a fuellevel sensor that operates independent of a power source, and/or thatoperates with battery power, for example the battery power that powersVDM 10 while the vehicle ignition is off; as such, the VDM 10 may detectfuel loss events and enter them into the vehicle record even when thevehicle 101 is turned off, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. According to some embodiments of the present invention, theVDM 10 compares the fuel level at vehicle shutoff with the fuel level atvehicle startup, in order to determine whether a major fuel loss event(e.g. theft) has occurred.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providea “vehicle utilization report,” which may include distance, total time,park time, run time, move time, and/or idle time, according toembodiments of the present invention. The vehicle utilization report mayalso display a comparison of any or all parameters (except distance)with respect to a total time. The vehicle utilization report may alsodisplay averages for all queried vehicles and/or drivers, according toembodiments of the present invention.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providea “safety report,” which may display distance, low overforce, highoverforce, low overspeed, high overspeed, seatbelt violations, and/orbacking incidents according to driver and/or vehicle. A grade level maybe assigned to each vehicle or driver. The level assigned to eachvehicle or driver may include determining the level according to thefollowing calculations. The miles driven may be divided by a number ofcounts to arrive at the score. Each second in an overforce or overspeedcondition may equal one count, and each second in a high overforce orhigh overspeed condition may equal a user-defined number of counts. Eachunsafe backing occurrence may equal a user defined number of counts. Ifthe calculated score is greater than 250, then the level 10 may beassigned to the particular driver or vehicle. If the calculated score is128 to 250, then level 9 may be assigned; if 64 to less than 128, thenthe level 8 may be assigned; if 32 to less than 64, then the level 7 maybe assigned; if 16 to less than 32, then level 6 may be assigned; if 8to less than 16, then level 5 may be assigned; if 4 to less than 8, thenlevel 4 may be assigned; if 2 to less than 4, then level 3 may beassigned; if 1 to less than 2, level 2 may be assigned; and if less than1, level 1 may be assigned, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a driver safety report asit may be displayed by server 128 via a remote internet interface,according to embodiments of the present invention.

The safety report may display the drivers or vehicles above or below auser-defined standard line, based on level, and/or display fleet ordriver totals, according to embodiments of the present invention. If adriver has zero counts, then the score level may be displayed as themiles driven multiplied by a factor of two, with a minimum level scorethat correlates to the minimum value of which the standard line isplaced (for example, if the driver drove 2.3 miles and had no counts,and the standard line was set at level 5, that driver's score would be8.0, putting the driver just over the standard line). The safety reportmay display total driving, emergency driving only, non emergency drivingonly, and may also have the ability to mask the drive name, for exampleby displaying only each driver's unique employee number or otheruser-defined identification. The safety report may also be sortablealphabetically and/or by the level score.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providea “grading report,” which may permit the user to specify specificoccurrences and events, and the data values attributed to suchoccurrences and events. For example, the user may wish to create a“green report” that grades driver performance as it relates to speed,forces, throttle position, oxygen sensor values, and idle time, whichare all factors which tend to have a higher degree of relevance to theenvironment.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to providea “second-by-second report,” which may display a user-defined dateand/or time period, and resolution of all monitored inputs andindicators in a graphical format, with time being the horizontal axisand the value and description of the input displayed on the verticalaxis. The displays may overlay each other, and the user may be able totoggle on or off the input display and the corresponding values,according to embodiments of the present invention. The second-by-secondreport may also permit the user to directly access a video presentationof a selected portion of the second-by-second graph, for example with amouse click and/or a hot key. According to some embodiments of thepresent invention, video information sent to the VDM 10 after beingcaptured by the video capture device 26 is displayed overlayed in thesame graphical format, with snapshots taken from the video footage atperiodic time intervals corresponding to the location at which thesnapshot is displayed on the timeline, according to embodiments of thepresent invention. The second-by-second report may also permit the userto directly access (e.g. with a mouse click or a hot key activation) amap representing the location of the vehicle corresponding to the timeof the selected portion of the second-by-second graph. Thesecond-by-second report may also display and/or be available for exportin a text format, according to embodiments of the present invention. Thesecond-by-second report may also be configured to include or displaydata from a third-party software application, for example the dispatchnumber taken from an EMS dispatch software application, according toembodiments of the present invention. The VDM 10 may be configured touse a time given by a GPS 30 signal for vehicle data records or othertime synchronized device, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. According to some embodiments of the present invention, allreports, via a date/time stamp correlation, permit the user to accessthe corresponding video information in the vehicle data record.According to some embodiments of the present invention, when a user(e.g. an enterprise user 124) watches video collected by VDM 10, theuser sees other data overlayed onto the video data, for example speedlimit information, information about the driver, information aboutweather conditions, and other relevant information. According to someembodiments of the present invention, such information may be displayedin a “heads up” type of format for the user.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the user may directlyaccess particular detailed data from any graphical report with a timeaxis, by selecting a particular time range or event from the time axis.For example, in any report, including those described above, the usermay directly access (e.g. with a mouse click and/or hot key activation)the corresponding video footage for any date and/or time, or any dateand/or time range, according to embodiments of the present invention. Asanother example, the user may directly access corresponding mapinformation displaying the location of the vehicle for any date and/ortime selected in any report, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the enterpriseapplication server 128 may also be configured to permit a user to editvalues that may ultimately be displayed in various reports and exports;the edits may be logged and saved in a protected, (for examplenon-editable) edit log. The enterprise application server 128 may beconfigured so as not to permit such edits to compromise integrity ofcertain data in relation to crash reports, employee disputes, or anyother formal or legal proceedings; for example, in some embodiments, thesecond-by-second data is not editable, but data in another table orreport is editable. According to embodiments of the present invention,the edit process permits users to edit multiple records with a minimalamount of effort.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10 logseach two-way communication, and/or each two-way communication session,with the enterprise environment 103. The VDM 10 may also be configuredto record the occurrence of a driver setup change, and/or a vehiclesetup change. VDM 10 may also be configured for one-way communication,and/or three-way communication, and/or multiple directionalcommunication, according to embodiments of the present invention.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the webapplication hosted by application server 128 is configured to alert auser (e.g. 124) to any incident for which the driver may receive aviolation tone or message. The web application may alert the user to anyidle incident that exceeds the user-defined period of time. The webapplication may be configured to alert the user to any user-definedevent, according to embodiments of the present invention. The webapplication may be configure to cause the alert to remain on the screenfor a user-defined period of time, and/or until dismissed by the user.According to some embodiments of the present invention, the user mayenable or disable any and all alerts.

The VDM 10 may send e-mails to user-designated e-mail addresses when auser-defined alert incident occurs. The VDM 10 may also send an alertand alarm if a driver panic button (or crew panic button) is activated.According to some embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10 iscommunicably coupled to multiple panic buttons within the vehicle 101.The VDM 10 may also provide an e-mail alert, or other message, to anenterprise workstation 122, in the event of an air bag deployment and/orexcess observed acceleration value. The VDM 10 may also be configured toprovide an alert upon a sudden loss of fuel and/or movement detected bythe accelerometer 16 when the engine is off (as sensed by the ignitionsensor 526), according to embodiments of the present invention.

A user 124 of a web application interface (e.g. via workstation 122)may, when an alert is received, be provided with an option to display alist of all vehicles and a status of all alert parameters. In somecases, the user may activate a “hot key” or other override function inorder to obtain an image displayed on a map indicating the vehiclelocation when the alert occurs. The web application interface permitsthe user to specify that the alert notifications should override and/oroverlay and/or replace any other display currently displayed on thescreen, according to embodiments of the present invention. The webapplication may also permit the user to select a “hot key” or the liketo receive a video image, for example a streaming live image, from thevehicle 101 when an alert occurs. According to other embodiments of thepresent invention, the web application may receive an alert when thevehicle 101 drives out of radio frequency (e.g. Wi-Fi) range of aparticular piece of equipment, for example a defibrillator with Wi-Fi orother radio frequency capability, according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

As discussed above, the VDM 10 may be communicably coupled to anavigation system 30; alternatively, the VDM 10 hardware enclosure orhousing may itself incorporate a global positioning system. The VDM 10may incorporate directional (for example magnetometer) technology,either integral or indirectly via navigation system 30. The VDM 10 mayprovide mapping capability, so that remote users 124 of a webapplication interface may see mapping features, for example currentlocation of the vehicle 101 with respect to surrounding streets and/orlandmarks, as well as the location of the vehicle 101 as particularmoments in time, including future or predicted locations, in a visualmap display, according to embodiments of the present invention.

The VDM 10 may also be configured to activate or deactivate vehicledevices upon receiving a remote command, for example through network 12,using a twelve-volt digital output, according to embodiments of thepresent invention. The VDM 10 may also be configured to activate orcontrol OEM systems and devices with a remote command from theapplication software (e.g. the application software hosted by enterpriseserver 128 and accessed via workstation 122) to the vehicle data bus 20,for example using OBDII and/or J protocols, according to embodiments ofthe present invention. The VDM 10 may also activate or deactivatevehicle devices using a five volt digital output. The VDM 10 may alsoactivate and/or deactivate devices located within the vehicle 101 basedon user-defined parameters, using a twelve or five-volt digital output,according to embodiments of the present invention. This may similarly beaccomplished using the vehicle data bus 20. The application software mayalso turn off driver feedback messaging and/or tones with a remotecommand, according to embodiments of the present invention. For example,if the VDM 10 sends an alarm to the remote web application interfaceindicating that a smoke detector 23 has detected smoke in the frontcabin 150, the application software may display the smoke alarm to webinterface user 124. The web user 124 may access a live video stream, forexample from camera position 1, and observe that the driver 112 issmoking a cigarette. The web user 124 may turn off the smoke alarm, andsend the driver 112 a voice and/or video message instructing and/orreminding the driver 112 that smoking is not permitted, according toembodiments of the present invention.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the user, forexample a vehicle fleet manager, may set monitoring, audible feedback,violation, grading, and reporting parameters for individual vehicles,groups of vehicles, and/or an entire fleet. Alternative parameters maybe specified for situations during which the vehicles 101 are operatingin emergency mode, and/or for different identified drivers.

An enterprise user 124 may view high resolution video images showing adriver's eye view, including images taken in low lighting conditions,with a minimum of a 120 degree field of view, out of the front windows(e.g. similar to camera position 8 of FIG. 6), according to embodimentsof the present invention. According to some embodiments of theinvention, the cameras have a field of view at or between thirty degreesand three-hundred sixty degrees. The enterprise user 124 may also viewhigh resolution, low light, video images of the front of the ambulance,with capability for viewing the driver and an attendee, similar tocamera position 1 of FIG. 6. According to some embodiments of thepresent invention, the VDM 10 collects from video capture device 26 (ormultiple video capture devices 26) at least forty-eight hours of videofootage without overwrites, such that if overwrites occur, the mostrecent images will be saved and the oldest images will be overwritten.Other time frames for video footage capture may be used, instead offorty-eight hours. According to embodiments of the present invention,the user 124 of the web application interface may view video imagesremotely in near real time. The enterprise application server 128 and/orenterprise storage server 126 may be configured to record and save allactivities when VDM 10 senses the presence of vehicle ignition and/orspeed. The user 124 may view video from one or more camera positionswhen the vehicle 101 is not running, but is otherwise triggered by auser-defined event, such as accelerometer activity.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10 tagsor flags or otherwise marks in the vehicle data record the occurrence ofa particular activity or combination of activities. These flags permit auser, for example web application user 124, to quickly locate data ofparticular interest, either in real time, or when reviewing the vehicledata record. According to some embodiments of the present invention, theVDM 10 write protects the data corresponding to flagged events toprevent the VDM 10 from writing over such data. For example, if a highoverforce condition is detected at 11:09 am, the VDM 10 write protectsall data corresponding to 11:09 am, and/or all data corresponding to11:08 am to 11:10 am, and/or certain kinds of data corresponding to aparticular time range. The user 124 may also view images taken from theback of the vehicle, for example from camera position 4, displayingbacking incidents, loading of patients, and/or rear-end collisions,according to embodiments of the present invention. The driver 112 may beable to view video images in real time taken from the rear of theambulance to facilitate vehicle backing (e.g. camera position 4). Thedriver may also be able to view video showing adjacent lane activity inreal time, for example images or video taken from video capture devices26 in one or more of camera positions 5 and 6, according to embodimentsof the present invention. The user 124 may also be able to view visualinformation taken from a rear cabin 152, for example from camerapositions 2 and/or 7. The user 124 may be a medical professional, andmay view visual information from the patient compartment 152 remotely inorder to provide telemedicine or other remote medical advice and/ordiagnosis, according to embodiments of the present invention. The rearcabin 152 may also be configured with two-way video capability for thispurpose, according to embodiments of the present invention. The VDM 10may also identify weather conditions, for example based on windshieldwiper use, and other external conditions, according to embodiments ofthe present invention.

The VDM 10 permits video images to be downloaded via Wi-Fi and/orcellular connections, and may select transfer times of such content,taking into account bandwidth, cost, and/or time information.Downloading of video images from VDM 10, for example by enterprisestorage server 126, may be toggled between low and high resolution, tofacilitate download via cellular network (e.g. for live remote viewing)or Wi-Fi (e.g. for large bandwidth transfer of video images for laterviewing). The web application interface provided to user 124 may permiteasy access to view video from time stamped or flagged activityreferenced from system reports, including tagged activity from adriver-activated panic button. The user 124 may be able to access andview video seamlessly from the web application interface program. As theuser 124 is viewing video or image content, the user may be able totoggle on or off the overlay of other data gathered by VDM 10, forexample the vehicle speed, whether emergency driving is activated, andthe like.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the user 124 mayview a map while viewing video footage, such that the map indicates thevehicle 101 location corresponding to the timing of the video footage.The user 124 may move a representation of a vehicle 101 to variouspositions along the map in order to scroll to a different positionwithin the data. For example, a user 124 watching video footage from avehicle's data record may click on a little ambulance icon displayedover the map of the particular route and move it forward along theroute, and then unclick the ambulance icon to begin playing videocorresponding to the new ambulance icon location along the route. Themap display of the route may also include visual indicators that may betoggled on and off, the visual indicators illustrating flagged events.For example, the map may display little red flags at locations along thevehicle route at which overspeed and/or overforce conditions, or otherconditions, were logged in the vehicle data record. In such situations,clicking on one of the flags (which may be a visual representation otherthan a flag shape) retrieves and displays vehicle data corresponding tothe particular point in time that was flagged, for example video footageand/or recreation of a vehicle speedometer, according to embodiments ofthe present invention. Such information may be output, or suchinformation access cues may be interpreted, in other ways; for example,via voice command, retinal scan, or hand gesture, according toembodiments of the present invention.

The VDM 10, as well as the back-end servers 126, 128 and associatedprogramming, may be configured to facilitate the incorporation of datafrom multiple base station application programs, for example byassigning a location identifier to all records, according to embodimentsof the present invention. The application server 128 may be configuredto permit a user 124 to build “favorites” screens, in order to defaultor permit easy recall of commonly viewed screens and/or reports,according to embodiments of the present invention. The VDM 10 may alsobe configured to detect the presence of “shore power,” a power sourceexternal to the normal mobile power source of vehicle 101, and determineto keep certain devices or connections active in the presence of shorepower that would not normally be kept active when vehicle ignition isnot present, according to embodiments of the present invention.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10determines the existence of a particular condition based on visualinformation received from one or more video capture devices 26. Forexample, the VDM 10 may be configured to perform gesture recognition, todetermine when an intravenous line is being placed into the patient inthe rear cabin 152, or to determine when a person is standing up in therear cabin 152. Such determinations may trigger a separate data entryinto the vehicle data record, and/or may be used by VDM 10 incombination with other signals to determine triggering or flaggingevents. Such determinations may also be used by the VDM 10 to impact thealerts or warnings delivered to drivers 112 and/or crew members 114; forexample, the VDM 10 may be configured to lower the overforce settingsuch that a lower observed acceleration (e.g. lowest of accelerometer orvehicle speed change rate acceleration) is implemented when a VDM 10determines that a person is standing in the rear cabin 152; this dynamicoverforce or overspeed determination may help to warn the driver 112against undertaking a normally safe acceleration event that has becomepotentially less safe due to the fact that a person is standing up inthe rear cabin 152, according to embodiments of the present invention.The VDM 10 may also use video data to incorporate “machine vision” orthe like, in order to facilitate red light detection, lane departuredetection, tail gating detection, and seat belt compliance, for example.The VDM 10 may also be configured to dynamically adjust overforceparameters based on vehicle weight sensors, for example lowering theoverforce parameter for a left turn if the vehicle is heavier on theright side. As another example, airport crash rescue trucks, whichbecome top-heavy when they are loaded with water, may have theiroverforce and overspeed parameters lowered (for example based on thewater level) in order to deter potential vehicle rollovers. As anotherexample, if the VDM 10 detects a low tire pressure, it may dynamicallylower the overspeed limit. If the VDM 10 detects that the roads are icy,it may also lower the overspeed limit and overforce limit, according toembodiments of the present invention.

The VDM 10 may also use other sensors and/or devices within vehicle 101to determine the presence of certain conditions, for example, the VDM 10may infer that it is raining outside if a windshield wiper 506activation signal is received for longer than a predetermined period oftime (e.g. longer than a normal windshield cleansing cycle). The VDM 10may infer that it is dark outside if the headlights 502 are activated,according to embodiments of the present invention.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the database 130includes a national database of driving scores for individual drivers,which may be accessed by one or more subscribers 124 to research aparticular driver's driving history. The enterprise application server128 may also be configured to provide a vehicle burden score, in orderto assist enterprise users in optimizing deployment; for example, if aparticular vehicle 101, such as an ambulance, has experienced a highamount of wear, it may be deployed for shorter trips than an ambulancethat is newer or has just had maintenance performed on it. As such, theapplication through which an enterprise user 124 interacts with thevehicle record data may permit correlation of scheduling data withvehicle 101 performance and/or maintenance-related data.

The enterprise application server 128 may also be configured to trackthe particular data and/or types of reports accessed by a particularenterprise user 124 and/or a subscribing organization (e.g. a particularcounty's fire department), and suggest to the user 124 one or more otherreports that are similar, or which similarly-acting users often access.The server 128 may be configured to identify trends in data usage,and/or in the data itself, and displays such trends in textual and/orgraphical format. The server 128 may also be configured to displaysuggestions or recommendations based on trends. For example, if server128 notices a relatively high number of backing violations, the server128 may include a graphical button that, when activated on the user's124 workstation 122, automatically activates a voice message for play byeach VDM 10 in the fleet on vehicle ignition, that says “please rememberto use a spotter when backing.”

The VDM 10 may also be configured to provide a reward and/or incentivesystem for drivers 112 or crew members 114, according to embodiments ofthe present invention. For example, when a driver 112 logs in to aparticular VDM 10 via crew ID device 14, and the VDM 10 queries database130 and determines that the driver 112 has a driving safety score thatexceeds a user-defined threshold, the VDM 10 may activate the soundsystem or radio device 510 for entertainment between runs, may activatea seat warmer system, an air conditioning or heating system, or otherentertainment or luxury items that are normally optional, but which maybe activated as a reward for safe driving. When a driver 112 logs in tothe VDM 10, the VDM 10 may display (e.g. via video display device 40 orvia a web browser interface when the driver 112 accesses data from aremote workstation 122) a graphic or point reward interface, which mayalso permit the driver to use points gathered for safe driving scores toredeem prizes or vacation time, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. The VDM 10 may also be configured to activate a Wi-Fi hotspot for internet access, as a reward for certain safety performance,according to embodiments of the present invention.

According to embodiments of the present invention, a user 124 may be acode reviewer reviewing the vehicle data record, and/or the patienttransport record. In such cases, the web application through which theuser 124 accesses the vehicle data may permit the user 124 to flag timesand/or events which were not previously flagged, for later retrievaland/or for facilitated review. In some cases, the user 124 may be adriver 112 and/or crew member 114, and the web application mayauthenticate their identity and permit them to review the vehicle datafor the runs which they have performed, and/or for the records whichinvolve their performance. According to embodiments of the presentinvention, the web application may permit the driver 112 and/or crewmember 114 to insert annotations or flags into the vehicle data record,for example for explanatory purposes. For example, if the VDM 10 addedto the vehicle data record an overforce condition, the driver 112 may beable to go back into the record and add a comment or annotation, whichmay be in the form of a recorded voice message, a text entry, a flag,and/or the like, to explain that the overforce condition was a result ofbraking to avoid colliding with another driver who was driving unsafely.According to some embodiments of the present invention, the enterpriseworkstation 122 is in the vehicle 101, and the driver 112 and/or crewmember 114 may edit and/or comment on the vehicle data record shortlyafter a particular run or a particular shift, while the events are stillfresh in memory. Such edits and/or comments may be added directly to thevehicle data record in VDM 10, and/or added to the remote copy of thevehicle data record stored on database 130, according to embodiments ofthe present invention. The crew member 114 and/or driver 112 may havethe ability to delete sections of video under certain circumstances.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10 isconfigured to receive commands via the audio capture device 28, and/orto transcribe narratives received via the audio capture device 28. Forexample, the driver 112 says “I am going to give a narrative now,” andthe VDM 10 interprets this as a command to begin voice-recognizedtranscription and/or to create a sound file (e.g. a “.wav” file) toenter into the vehicle data record the information recorded. Accordingto some embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10 uses bothgesture and voice command recognition, for example recording a crewmember's narrative while flagging and/or bookmarking the points in timewhen the crew member makes a certain hand gesture, for example raisinghis or her hand.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10 isconfigured to build historical data, and/or to feed it back into theVDM's 10 feedback and alert system. For example, if VDM 10 senses anoverforce braking event along a particular stretch of road auser-defined number of times, the VDM 10 may automatically adjust theoverspeed limit to be lower to ensure that the VDM 10 reminds the driver112 to slow down going over that stretch of road, in order to avoidadditional braking events, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. Such historical data may also be used by VDM 10 to find aneffective speed limit for a particular stretch of road, and/or provide avoice alert, according to embodiments of the present invention.

The VDM 10 may be configured to store data in a recognized or industrystandard data format, for example National EMS Information System(NEMSIS) data format, HL7 format, or XML format, and/or the enterprisestorage server 126 may be configured to convert the vehicle record datafrom database 130 into a NEMSIS data format, according to embodiments ofthe present invention

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10 isconfigured to gather vehicle data that may be used for fleet maintenancedecisions; for example, the reporting feature of enterprise applicationserver 128 may be configured to associate vehicle safety data withmaintenance data or decisions, for example activating a maintenancealert to an enterprise user 124 for a particular vehicle 101 earlier ifthat particular vehicle 101 has experienced more overforce conditions(e.g. heavy braking) than an average vehicle. The VDM 10 may also beconfigured to predict in-field failure, for example if a severe drop inbattery charge is detected for the vehicle 101, the VDM 10 may beconfigured to alert the driver 112 and/or crew 114 that a newdestination should be selected and/or a backup plan implemented.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, theadministration environment 103 collects vehicle data for numerousvehicles owned by multiple different vehicle fleet managers, and theenterprise user 124 is a member of the vehicle manufacturing orinsurance industry, who accesses via enterprise workstation 122 some orall of the vehicle data records in order to improve vehicle safetydesign, and as empirical or “real world” testing data for evaluatingvehicle performance over time and under various circumstances. In suchcases, any medical or patient or other confidential information may bescreened or shielded, but vehicle information may be passed through sucha connection in order to permit the user 124 to see historicalmaintenance and vehicle performance data for one particular vehicle orany number of vehicles over a particular period of time. Such reportsmay be interactively customized, permitting the user 124 to select theparticular field and time frames to view, according to embodiments ofthe present invention. The web data interface for manufacturing andinsurance industry participants may be customized to permit access todata fields that are of particular interest to those industries, forexample accelerometer-based information, seatbelt data, weightdistribution, tire pressure, engine diagnostics, and the like.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the VDM 10 isconfigured to facilitate compliance with wearing hearing protection insituations in which hearing protection is required, by requiring a userconfirmation that hearing protection is secured, and/or by processingvideo imagery to determine whether a user is wearing earmuffs, forexample. The VDM 10 may also be configured to perform active noisecancellation, for example on siren sounds received through audio capturedevice 28, according to embodiments of the present invention. The VDM 10may also be communicably coupled to a third party headset and/ordispatch system, for example the FireCom™ system, and may be configuredto enter into the vehicle data record audio recordings from otherchannels and/or users (e.g. record in an ambulance VDM 10 audiocommunications from firefighters who have also responded to the sameemergency). The VDM 10 may be communicably coupled to a variety of audioor other multimedia systems in personal protection gear, such as facemasks, gloves, hazardous material suits, and/or helmets, according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 14 illustrates a report showing vehicle speed, engine speed,ignition, left turn, right turn, brake activation, spotter switchactivation, reverse activation, emergency light activation, sirenactivation, and driver's seatbelt activation data over a particularlength of time corresponding to a run, or an emergency response,according to embodiments of the present invention. Reference number 1 ofFIG. 14 illustrates that the crew was at their post, with the vehicleidling with no speed. Reference number 2 illustrates the time when thecrew was dispatched; reference number 3 illustrates activation ofemergency lights, intermittent use of siren during the response, and thefact that the seatbelt was not fastened. Reference number 4 indicateswhen the crew was at the scene of the emergency medical event, as thevehicle was in high idle mode, with the emergency lights remaining on atthe scene. Reference number 5 indicates that the crew was en route to ahospital destination, transporting the patient with the siren on.Reference number 6 indicates that the vehicle experienced overspeedviolations almost ten times at speeds approaching ninety miles per hourwhile en route. Reference number 7 indicates that the vehicle hasarrived at the destination and has been shut off. Reference number 8reiterates that the driver's seatbelt was not fastened over the run.

FIG. 15 illustrates a second-by-second report for a particularone-minute time interval surrounding a vehicle accident, showing variousdata values plotted versus time, according to embodiments of the presentinvention. Reference number 1 of FIG. 15 illustrates that the vehiclewas responding with lights and siren on and vehicle speed at fifty-sevenmiles per hour. Reference number 2 illustrates that brakes were appliedas the vehicle slowed to approach an intersection. Reference number 3illustrates that the brakes were off, the accelerator activated, andengine speed increasing as the vehicle entered the intersection atthirty-one miles per hour. Reference number 4 illustrates the vehiclebeing struck on the driver's side, generating a high right overforcecondition. Reference number 5 illustrates the vehicle tipping to theright on two wheels and returning to all four wheels. Reference number 6indicates that brakes were applied and the vehicle comes to a completestop, and reference number 7 illustrates that the seatbelts were on forthe entire duration of the event. FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate twoexamples of the various data that may be displayed over particular timeperiods, for example by the server 128 via a web interface based on aquery from an enterprise user, according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplaryembodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the presentinvention. For example, while the embodiments described above refer toparticular features, the scope of this invention also includesembodiments having different combinations of features and embodimentsthat do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, thescope of the present invention is intended to embrace all suchalternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope ofthe claims, together with all equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for vehicle data management, the systemcomprising: a specific force sensing device located on an emergencyvehicle, the specific force sensing device configured to indicate aspecific force undergone by the emergency vehicle, wherein the emergencyvehicle has a front cabin configured to seat a driver, and a rear cabinconfigured to accept a patient and at least one emergency medicaltechnician; a speed sensing device located on the emergency vehicle, thespeed sensing device configured to indicate a speed of the emergencyvehicle; a video capture device located in the emergency vehicle andconfigured to capture visual information about one or more of theemergency vehicle, the driver, the patient, and the at least oneemergency medical technician; and a vehicle data management devicecommunicably coupled to the specific force sensing device, the speedsensing device, and the video capture device, the vehicle datamanagement device configured to establish a vehicle record, wherein thevehicle record comprises video footage captured by the video capturedevice, wherein the vehicle data management device is further configuredto: determine whether a particular safety situation exists with theemergency vehicle based on the visual information, select a speed limitand a specific force limit, wherein the speed limit and the specificforce limit are both lower if it is determined that the particularsafety situation exists, and are both higher if it is not determinedthat the particular safety situation exists, calculate whether one orboth of the speed is higher than the speed limit and the specific forceis higher than the specific force limit, and create a flag in thevehicle record based on the calculation.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the vehicle data management device is configured toautomatically determine whether the particular safety situation existsbased on the visual information.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein thevehicle data management device is configured to prompt the driver or theat least one emergency medical technician to confirm that a safetysituation exists based on the visual information.
 4. The system of claim1, wherein the video capture device is located in the rear cabin, andwherein the safety situation is a person standing in the rear cabin. 5.The system of claim 1, wherein the video capture device is located inthe rear cabin, and wherein the safety situation is a patient laying inthe rear cabin.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a firstvehicle, wherein the video capture device is located externally of thefirst vehicle at or near a rear of the first vehicle, and wherein thesafety situation is a second vehicle following too closely to the firstvehicle.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a firstvehicle, wherein the video capture device is located externally of thefirst vehicle at or near a front of the first vehicle, and wherein thesafety situation is the first vehicle following too closely to a secondvehicle.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle data managementdevice is further configured to interpret gestures captured by the videocapture device and to determine whether a particular safety situationexists with the emergency vehicle by interpreting the gestures.
 9. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the specific force sensing device is anaccelerometer.
 10. A method for vehicle data management, the methodcomprising: receiving a specific force value from a specific forcesensing device located on an emergency vehicle, the specific force valueindicating a specific force undergone by the emergency vehicle;receiving a speed value from a speed sensing device located on theemergency vehicle; receiving visual information from a visual capturedevice located on the emergency vehicle, wherein the visual informationincludes visual information about one or more of the emergency vehicle,the driver, the patient, and the at least one emergency medicaltechnician; establishing a vehicle data record including at least aportion of the visual information; determining whether a particularsafety situation exists with the emergency vehicle based on the visualinformation, selecting a speed limit and a specific force limit, whereinthe speed limit and the specific force limit are both lower if it isdetermined that the particular safety situation exists, and are bothhigher if it is not determined that the particular safety situationexists, calculating whether one or both of the speed is higher than thespeed limit and the specific force is higher than the specific forcelimit, and creating a flag in the vehicle record based on thecalculation.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining whether theparticular safety situation exists comprises automatically determiningwhether the particular safety situation exists based on the visualinformation.
 12. The method of claim 10, further comprising promptingthe driver or the at least one emergency medical technician to confirmthat a safety situation exists based on the visual information.
 13. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the video capture device is located in therear cabin, and wherein the safety situation is a person standing in therear cabin.
 14. The method of claim 10, wherein the video capture deviceis located in the rear cabin, and wherein the safety situation is apatient laying in the rear cabin.
 15. The method of claim 10, whereinthe vehicle is a first vehicle, wherein the video capture device islocated externally of the first vehicle at or near a rear of the firstvehicle, and wherein the safety situation is a second vehicle followingtoo closely to the first vehicle.
 16. The method of claim 10, whereinthe vehicle is a first vehicle, wherein the video capture device islocated externally of the first vehicle at or near a front of the firstvehicle, and wherein the safety situation is the first vehicle followingtoo closely to a second vehicle.
 17. The method of claim 10, wherein thevisual information comprises gestures, and wherein determining whetherthe particular safety situation exists comprises automaticallyinterpreting the gestures.
 18. The method of claim 10, wherein thespecific force sensing device is an accelerometer.
 19. A system forvehicle data management, the system comprising: a specific force sensingdevice located on an emergency vehicle, the specific force sensingdevice configured to indicate a specific force undergone by theemergency vehicle; a speed sensing device located on the emergencyvehicle, the speed sensing device configured to indicate a speed of theemergency vehicle; a condition indicator located on the emergencyvehicle, the condition indicator configured to indicate informationabout presence or absence of a condition; a vehicle data managementdevice communicably coupled to the specific force sensing device, thespeed sensing device, and the condition indicator, wherein the vehicledata management device is configured to establish a vehicle record, andis further configured to: determine whether the condition is present orabsent based on the information from the condition indicator, adjust aspeed limit and a specific force limit based on the determination,create a flag when one or both of the speed is higher than the speedlimit and the specific force is higher than the specific force limit.20. A method for vehicle data management, the method comprising:receiving a specific force value from a specific force sensing devicelocated on an emergency vehicle, the specific force value indicating aspecific force undergone by the emergency vehicle; receiving a speedvalue from a speed sensing device located on the emergency vehicle;receiving information about presence of absence of a condition from acondition indicator; establishing a vehicle data record; determiningwhether the condition is present or absent based on the information fromthe condition indicator; adjusting a speed limit and a specific forcelimit based on the determination; creating a flag in the vehicle recordwhen one or both of the speed is higher than the speed limit and thespecific force is higher than the specific force limit.
 21. The methodof claim 20, wherein creating the flag in the vehicle record comprisescreating the flag in the vehicle record when one or both of the speed ishigher than the speed limit and the specific force is higher than thespecific force limit for a preset grace period time.
 22. The method ofclaim 20, wherein the condition indicator is a windshield wiperindicator, wherein adjusting the speed limit and the specific forcelimit comprises lowering the speed limit and the specific force limit.23. The method of claim 20, wherein the condition indicator is anemergency siren indicator, wherein adjusting the speed limit and thespecific force limit comprises raising the speed limit and the specificforce limit.
 24. The method of claim 20, wherein the condition indicatoris an emergency lights indicator, wherein adjusting the speed limit andthe specific force limit comprises raising the speed limit and thespecific force limit.